Behind the Walls
by SarottiFlotti
Summary: AU: In a world where humanity is forced to live behind walls to be protected from the Akuma on the outside, children are born with a special gift. But there's nothing special about red sparkles, right? ON PAUSE
1. History Lesson

Behind the Walls

**A/N: kind of binged the entire series of Avatar this weekend and Ba Sing Se (and a good portion of AoT) inspired me to this story. Well, we first start off with a bit of an history lesson ~ **

Chapter 1: History Lesson

In year 1913, the first Akuma sightings were recorded.

Horrible creatures with glowing eyes and purple skin. They were sighted in European woods a few times, scaring some lone farmers and hunters. Those who encountered them were soon declared lunatics, it was only a shadow they had seen, a reflection from the sun, maybe. The time of fairy tales were over, there was nothing dangerous in the woods.

Few people went missing and though the search parties turned up empty handed, they never made a connection between the missing people and the strange shadows.

No one really cared for them anyway, for they never did anything but stare or run away. Those, who insisted that there really was something were dismissed. Akumas faded into minor myths that were shadowed by the killing of the Austrian crown prince one year later. No one really paid them much mind, with Europe being plunged into a horrifying war that soon inflicted the entire world. Unfortunately, the weird creatures turned out to be a danger far greater than they could have guessed.

In year 1916, in the middle of that horrible war, the profane conflicts collapsed. Creatures entered the battlefield. Creatures no one had ever seen or heard of. Wild beasts, tearing open throats and rib-cages in the muddy confines of that horrible, everlasting battle.

The Akuma, far greater in count than they could have guessed, turned aggressive.

That had been the first massive sighting, the first sign that something was on its way.

It was a mistake to declare the battle over when Falkenhayn, returning to his position after Hindenburg's death, took the offensive again and took over Verdun. The French army soon won back the ground, but the damage was done.

Many soldiers returned with horrifying stories about monsters with deep purple eyes that glowed in the dark, screams of men falling victim to their razor sharp teeth.

That first appearance will later mark the beginning of the war, in December 1916.

When the USA joined the war in 1917, they brought with them stories of demons and evil ghosts. The Germans, only fuelled by Japanese soldiers, were the first who called them Akuma. Or Demon. Possessed human souls, deprived of any feelings and memories, stripped of their humanity. The skyrocketing numbers of missing people only fuelled the legend.

With the USA joining the war and the Russian revolution in October, the war quickly turned, but in a way no one could have guessed.

When Lenin's men entered the Russian palace, they found the entire Romanov family, lying in their own blood at their feet, a creature hovering over the dead bodies. Those few who survived described a similar picture as the soldiers at Verdun did.

No one did anything yet, the fear and sheer disbelief of the creatures' nature blinding the generals to the threat.

Crop failures in Germany were the first sign of anything unusual, but when the first children showed signs of supernatural nature, they were hidden or killed, in fear of them turning into those Demons.

But more and more attacks from Akumas on both sides weakened the fronts, and Germany gave up in 1918, due to the Allies simply having a greater headcount. Everyone was weakened and scared in the face of the new enemy.

That was the reason the sanctions concerning the axis were pulled to the back. They first had to fight the evil within their lines.

Soldiers were turning into beasts, some even in the infirmaries. The myth of the missing people was confirmed. Akuma were humans, turned into something abnormally cruel and _in_human. That's how they leaned of the first symptoms as well.

Later they would learn that it was extreme negative emotions that were the catalyst, but as soon as the body showed the first symptoms, it would be over.

First, the man would get a high fever. Unable to be controlled, it would skyrocket, their eyes and veins turning into a purple colour, until the man died. Hours later, the deceased's eyes would flutter open, dark tears running out of their facial openings, the soul being already lost.

Some declared the bodies to be possessed, but after some victims were seen screaming for lost ones, for family and friends, they came to the horrifying realization that the souls had never truly left the bodies. They were not infectious, but in immense pain.

The bones restructured and the intestines turned liquid. They turned to monsters, prowling on four feet, deep purple with sharp teeth, claws and hollow eyes.

The war had caused many soldiers to fall victim to Akuma, European countries overflowing with men turned Akuma. Great Britain chose _splendid isolation_, refraining from any contact with the other countries, as a means of self-preservation.

The USA turned their back first, however news soon crossed the ocean of people turning even over there, with next to no contact to any Europeans. France and Germany were the first to be completely overrun; Berlin, the first main city to fall. Weimar, being the next capital city, closed itself off, building walls in the inner center. Frankfurt, a smaller city at that time, closed off as well, building walls with field and forests within, ready to plant everything they needed in their inner sanctum. Anyone showing symptoms were instantly shot and thrown over the walls. Many European cities copied them.

When Weimar fell to the Akuma stapled at the outer wall which simply climbed the defences in 1929, followed shortly by Warsaw and Lyon in 1930, the cities doubled their efforts, with higher walls and better training for the young ones.

Those young ones developed powers. Like nature was searching for some kind of balance, more children were born with magical abilities. They were called 'gifted'. Gifted by god, blessed with the ability to create, to destroy. They had more strength and speed, higher senses and a higher chance of killing Akuma.

The Gifted were those who build the army in the later years. Protests in the sixties changed the view of those with powers. Not every child was born with them, but those who did were supposed to lead them, were supposed to lead them to peace, as some called it in the early 80s.

Those wishes aside, the safety and protection of humanity was the main point for every government.

That was how Paris ended up with four concentric rings, being stable to the present day. The Outer Ring, the highest and most solid wall of all three was protecting the most spacious part.

The Outer Ring was filled with fields. Crops and vegetables grew there, animals grazed. A huge forest to keep the illusion of a still functioning wildlife. Few farmers lived there, taking care of the city's food and well-being. The second ring, called Safe Zone, was filled to the brim with people. Refugees, craftsmen and artists. People with low income and even lower standards.

In 1969 the Laboratories of Human Research and Development was founded and placed here as well, acting as a symbol of hope. Doctors and scholars were searching for a cure within the highly confidential walls.

The third ring, protected by a slightly taller wall than the one between the Outer Ring and the Safe Zone, was vastly smaller than the Safe Zone. The _Moyenne_ inhabited fewer people. Those with a bit of money were able to rent a home on their own, were able to get a proper income and proper schooling. Notre Dame was inside, one of the few monuments that survived the war. As well as the city's university and the Academy for Human Survival, AHS for short.

The inner circle, separated by an even thicker and even higher wall, was called _Gouvernement._ As the name implied, the government lived there. Those people striving to lead the city, the rich and famous, but also the strongest of their kind, those soldiers who had proven their worth in the war against the Akuma. City Hall was there. Legends said the streets were made of gold, but that was merely fantasy, born of the fact that no one was allowed to enter the Gouvernement, unless they lived there or were invited.

The government maintained contact with the other cities, every sturdy town in a similar arrangement. Rings and higher walls proved their value.

Outside of those cities prowled Akumas. After one hundred years, they were barely reduced in number, being killed by those gifted children, killed by those who were soldiers fighting for human dominance.

Still, no one knew their origin, no one knew who or what selected those that began to show symptoms. It still happened, seemingly without reason. Random people would be infected, ill to the point of no return. No healing, no mercy. Should any Akuma penetrate the city, running rampant, especially in the Safe Zone, people would break into a panic. The Akuma would not only slaughter the city's inhabitants, but would cause a major panic that would not only infect that particular ring, but the entire city.

A panic must be avoided at all costs.

The tightly packed architecture of the Safe Zone and the amount of people living there would swarm the Moyenne and Gouvernement. There would be no surviving a panic in the Safe Zone, except by closing the gates and letting thousands, millions of people fall to a deathly destiny.

That was the world Marinette was born into. Living in Moyenne, she was not really strong. Her gift barely manifested and weak to the core. She was not really beautiful either. Loving to play in mud and with boys and girls of the Safe Zone, she was more boyish than other girls her age. Her flat chest and lack of roundness to her hips made her look more like a twelve year old with the mind of a sixteen year old.

Adrien was born in Gouvernement. His father, a high politician, a designer at heart with the mind of a ruthless businessman. His mother died when he was young, falling victim to the Akuma. Due to this traumatic experience, his father shut him off, homeschooling him and not letting him out of the mansion he lived in, the lessons rarely taking place past the mansion's grounds. His gift was highly valuable, being able to destroy anything he touched had 'gotten rid' of his turned mother at the soft age of ten.

Now, he was sixteen and was required by law to leave Gouvernement and join the other gifted in AHS.

That's when Marinette and Adrien met for the first time.

:

Marinette was running late. Her first day at AHS and she'd miss the Sorting.

She had been awake half the night, worrying over her first day. The Academy for Human Survival trained gifted children to become soldiers, part of the police or simple protectors. Her father was a protector and she strived to be as well. Protectors were those who trained at the Academy, but choose to serve the city. Mingled with the folk, or in politics, they did not fight actively, but served as some kind of calm anchor.

Civilians without a gift were secure as long as a protector was with them. Safe in case of an emergency. Protectors solved arguments and were responsible for the calm in the city. They knew the safety protocols as well as the police or the military, and could, at any time, be drafted to act as police officers, who took care of the general safety.

Police officers were mainly used in the Safe Zone, where crimes were a daily occurrence.

The military were active outside, fighting Akuma, detecting and eliminating nests or cocoons. Marinette had no wish to go outside. She did not want to be a police officer either, having had unpleasant encounters with several when she had been out with her friends in the Safe Zone. They were often corrupt and ruthless, accusing anyone of anything.

So, protector it was.

That was if she was even able to attend AHS.

Her worries from the previous nights were not due to her inability to choose a future career, no, that one was clear. Protector and fashion designer. What she was worried about was the Sorting.

Every first year student needed to be sorted. With the help of a test, the teachers at the Academy evaluated your gift, giving it marks and a ranking. The higher the ranking, the higher your likely future career and income. The lower the ranking, the more useless you were considered.

They even declined kids with a power that was useless or not up to their standards. After the first year, they sorted again, those with next to no value were discarded then as well.

Those who failed and returned to a 'normal' school were often laughed at. They failed at protecting the city, failed at being useful. They often dropped out when they came of age, failing to be part of sociality. Falling into the Safe Zone.

With Marinette's power... well, she was bound to leave the school early on. Even she did not know what her power contained, how could teachers value her in the course of a simple day?

When children grew up, they generally followed a similar pattern of development. The powers manifested in sparkles or a higher sense of danger or strength by the age of four or five. Then, later on, the gift took a shape. Super strength, like her father or being able to make illusions, some more solid than others, like her best friend Alya.

But her gift... well, it was kind of stuck. Sure, she had developed the magic earlier than anyone, she had been only a few months old when she began to produce pink and red sparkles, playing with them in her crib.

Despite the high praises and prophecies of her being one of the strongest the city had ever seen, her powers did not manifest any further.

Yep, it stayed with the pink sparkles, much to the amusement of all the kids surrounding her. She was mocked often to the point she declared having no powers at all.

However, the law stated that everyone with a hint of a gift was to be sorted, so Marinette was forced to attend the sorting. Should she miss it, her family would have to suffer repercussions.

With a heavy sigh, she sprinted the rest of the way, slamming against the wide doors of AHS, when they were about to close. Quickly apologizing to the guy that was about to shut her out, she scrambled to the courtyard, where students were waiting.

Huffing, Marinette was able to make out her best friend, Alya Césaire. "Mornin'," she wheezed, leaning heavily on her knees while she tried to catch her breath.

Alya only laughed. "Girl, I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"Me too," she whined. "Even though I don't really know what I'm doing here."

"Come on, it won't be too bad. Maybe you'll get in even without any powers. You have a heavy fighting style, they need to recognize it's value," she tried to cheer her, rubbing her back.

It was true. Due to her lack in any power and her young days out in the Safe Zone, Marinette had learned to protect herself from any kind of criminal, rapist or low-key power. She was able to parkour and lift anything that was thrown in her way. Within a reasonable weight range, of course. She always wore a dagger at her left thigh and a weighted yoyo at her right, able to smash anyone's face with the small disk.

She was good in street fights, but her sparkles, the reason why she was _here_ was useless.

"I don't think they care much about a knife." Glancing around, she gestured to a boy that towered over them. "I mean, that guy is practically made of _stone_ and I think I saw a girl that turned into a dragon earlier," Marinette argued. "I, on the other hand, am only able to do pink swirls."

"Highly valuable pink swirls," Alya grinned. "Come on, where's your sunny and always positive nature?"

"Still sleeping in my bed."

They giggled, but soon stopped when the chatter around them died as well. A man had climbed a small podium in front of them. Marinette strained her neck to get a view. He was bulky and slightly chubby, looking more like an owl like a man.

"Good morning, future students of Francois Dupont's Academy of Human Survival," he grinned, his fake grin nearly splitting his face in two. His round eyes were merrily twinkling in the light, but they held none of the joy he was portraying with his wide arms and too bright smile.

"I am really excited to get to know you all, even those of you who won't make it past today."

"Yeah, that's believable," Alya murmured and Marinette and few students surrounding them snickered as well.

"I have read through all of your applications beforehand and am pleased to see we have so many valuable people this year."

Groaning, Marinette hid her face in her hands. The application had been the most embarrassing thing she had ever done. Half a year before the start of the new school year, they were supposed to fill out a form, explaining their powers. Having to tick 'no' everywhere was dreadful and she barely managed to give the envelope with the filled form to the postal service.

They were surely already laughing at her.

"However, let's not delay any further," he began, "I want you to take a number from the teachers surrounding you, so you can be divided into classes beforehand. They will be your class until you graduate. You will find them at your right and left. They have a range of numbers attached over their head; stick to them when you find your range, and they will lead you through your sorting," he explained and clapped in his hands, prompting them to move.

Alya pulled her over to the nearest teacher with a bowl in front of them, so they could draw their numbers, praying they would be in the same class for the sorting.

Rummaging through the swarming students was a task, Alya, being the taller of them, got shoved back again and again. That was when Marinette decided to sneak in between the people, her hand easily reaching into the bowl and pulled out two slips, letting herself be dragged back to Alya.

The redhead snatched the slips out of Marinette's hand. "If the numbers don't match, I'll try to exchange them for some that match, okay?" she declared and Marinette nodded, snatching one of the two slips from Alya's hand.

32.

"What did you get?" Alya asked, leaning over, then began to squeal. "I got 35!"

Laughing, Marinette shrugged. "I guess, I was lucky, huh?"

"I absolutely _love_ your luck, Mari," she squealed, hugging her tightly. "Now, we're going to have a great day, pass this test in a snap and be classmates for the rest of our school life!"

Sometimes, Alya was too optimistic to be healthy, but Marinette did not mind, enjoying her last day having Alya in her class.

"Now, now," she cooed, trying to pry Alya off her, "Let's go find our teacher, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Alya squealed and grabbed Marinette's hand again, running around in search of their teacher. They soon found a woman with orange hair and a bright smile, the sign above her head read '20-40'. Alya dragged her over and as soon as their way cleared, Marinette couldn't suppress the escaping groan.

"Alya, what did you say about my luck?" she whined, gesturing ahead. Behind the teacher a few students were already waiting, one of them a blonde girl, clinging to the arm of another blond boy. "Chloé's in my class _again_."

Alya blinked and laughed. "Okay, maybe you're cursed?"

"Cursed with the mayor's snotty blonde _princess_."

Chloé Bourgeois was the only daughter of Paris's mayor. Due to her father, she thought she was able to do anything she wanted. Especially bully Marinette. She had been in the same class with her in school for _years_ and Chloé knew of Marinette's inability to use her gift. It was her favourite way of bullying her.

And like being summoned, the blonde turned around and her eyes landed on Marinette instantly. "You know, you have to have _some_ gift so attend this school?" she snickered, tugging at the boy's jacket.

Marinette averted her gaze, but Chloé did not stop. "You see that girl over there?" she laughed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "That girl with those childish pigtails, she has absolutely _no_ power. Well, some sparkles, but her gift seems to be stuck in elementary school, just like her body."

Marinette heard some murmur, the boy on Chloé's arm frowning, but Marinette tried to ignore them. Maybe Chloé would leave her be.

"It's so pathetic, really. Hey, Marinette!" she continued and Marinette sighed, turning around to get it over. "Why do you even care to be sorted? Got some hope that you _might_ pass? Well, listen carefully. You won't. Go home and save us all from your embarrassment."

"Hey," Alya fell in, "_Everyone_ has to try, and I tell you, once her power is fully developed-"

"Developed?" Chloé interrupted. "Her power _is_ already developed. I mean, she can't do anything useful, she's wasting our time."

"Chloé," that boy next to her began, tugging himself from her arm. "That was mean. Let her try."

"Oh, Adrikins, you're too good for this world really," she cooed and snuggled closer to the boy. Marinette averted her gaze, shuffling into a far corner, sitting on the ground against the wall and buried her head in her arms on her knees, trying to shut the world out. As much as she hated Chloé, she was right. Marinette was useless and simply pathetic to even try. Her power was nothing compared to... everyone's.

"Hey," Alya cooed and patted her upper arm and shoulder. "Don't let her get in your head. You know how Chloé is."

"Yeah," Marinette murmured, not looking up from her position between her arms. "But this time she's right."

Alya clearly struggled to say anything in return, but Marinette did not know whether she appreciated it. She clearly did not want to give her any false hope, but didn't want to lie to her either.

"It's just... they have to see, what I can see, what your parents see," Alya mumbled. "And we're going to show them, alright?"

Peeking up finally, she offered a small smile. "I'll give my best."

"Good!" Alya cheered, then suddenly, her gaze darkened. "What do you want?"

Glancing to the side, Marinette noticed the blond boy that had had Chloé attached to his arm earlier. He came closer and rubbed his neck, smiling.

"Hey, I wanted to-" he began, but Marinette interrupted him.

"Make fun of me?" she finished his sentence, frowning. "Just like Chloé? Sure, go ahead, but know that anything you might want to say, Chloé already did."

"No, I wanted-"

"You're friends with her, right? You're the same."

His mouth opened and closed again, then opened, but nothing came out. Being under the intense glare of Marinette and Alya though, seemed to work wonders, so he, for whatever reason, turned around again and headed back to a laughing Chloé, Sabrina by her side.

Groaning, Marinette slumped back into her arms. "I just want this day to be over."

After some time, the red-headed teacher turned around to them and clapped her hands, drawing their attention.

"Alright, is everyone here?" she glanced over the group of twenty people. "Good, please, follow me to an empty classroom, don't get lost, don't use any powers, and wait with the questions until we're there, okay? I know you're excited and curious, but I can assure you, today's sorting is going to be memorable."

Whispers broke out and Alya gushed by Marinette's side about how excited she was to finally be here. She rambled about the upcoming test (which made Marinette even more nervous) and how awesome it was going to be to get to know her future classmates.

The boy made of stone was with them, as well as some girl with a gooey skin. The others looked relatively normal.

The group made their way up some stairs, other students mingling around them, following their teachers through the halls. It was hard to keep up, but they managed.

Eventually, their teacher stopped in front of a wooden door, leading into one of the classrooms. She led them inside and ordered them to take seats.

Alya quickly pulled Marinette to the second row, not even allowing her to take a proper look. The room had wooden desks and benches, tall windows leading outside, as well as to the hallway outside of their classroom.

Marinette tried not to pay too much attention to Chloé, but unfortunately, Chloé herded that blond boy directly to the seat in front of Marinette. She was gushing about how those two would sit next to each other, with her and Sabrina across the aisle.

"Okay, now that everyone has found a seat, I'm going to introduce myself. I'm Madame Bustier and I'm going to be your homeroom teacher for the rest of your studies at the academy. I'm the one you ask for advice or help. I'm also responsible for your sorting."

Murmur broke out among the students, Alya elbowed Marinette as well, Marinette smiling back. Madame Bustier seemed nice. She had a smooth voice and loving eyes. Alya wouldn't have a hard time the following years.

"Quiet, please. I first have to collect your names so I know who you are and can have access to your files."

She asked everyone their names, typing on her tablet all the while. Once, she collected everyone's data, she put the device on the desk at her back.

"Okay, now I'm going to tell you how the sorting is going to work." Again, murmur broke out, but she quickly quieted everyone. "First of all: the formal stuff. During this morning and afternoon, you are going to be tested in three phases: knowledge, endurance and fight.

"First, we're going to test your knowledge about everything Akuma and gifts," she explained and Marinette's heart jumped in her chest. That was _her_ subject! Due to her lack of power, she tried to collect as much information as possible. How gifts spread, how the power manifested and worked. And Alya had practically dedicated an entire blog about Akuma, theorizing and collecting stuff with her in her free time. Due to Alya's rants when she was unable to decide on a subject to portray, Marinette knew practically everything about them as well.

A small, dangerous flicker of hope bloomed in her chest. Maybe she had a chance.

"But don't worry," Madame Bustier reassured the rest, who began to chatter anxiously. Surely, no one had really paid attention to that subject in school. "Don't worry," she repeated again, "You're not expected to know everything, so don't take it too seriously, it's just so we can adjust our timetables with your knowledge."

The chatter died down, but Marinette noticed a few uneasy faces.

"The second test is of endurance. We'll head to the gym and test your body, without your powers, to know how durable you are. There's a simple obstacle course you have to get through. Without the help of your powers, or you're disqualified and get zero points in that test."

Again, uneasy murmur broke out, but Marinette felt light headed. No powers allowed? She's going to ace that! With a glance to Chloé, who frowned, she snickered. Chloé had neither any knowledge, nor any kind of training.

"Girl," Alya hissed, "you're going to rock that! Who said they are not good enough?"

Giggling, Marinette shoved Alya to the side. "Oh hush, okay, maybe I'll manage."

"But," Madame Bustier again interrupted the commotion. "The third test is something more difficult. The fighting is very serious this year. Normally, we had an arena in the Outer Ring where you had to fight against an Akuma-"

Hushed whispers broke out again. Fighting against an Akuma? That was a big thing.

"_But,_" Madame Bustier raised her voice again, making everyone stare at her in appreciation. "But due to an... accident last Semester, the Arena is out of order right now, so Monsieur Damocles talked to the Military, who cleared a small area out of the wall."

This time, silence reigned the classroom. Did she just tell them they were going to leave Paris?

"What do you mean _out of the wall_?" Chloé spoke up, her nasty tone laced with something Marinette recognized to be fear.

No civilian, no student, _no one_ was allowed out of Paris without a special allowance. Beyond the secure walls of Paris was chaos. Akuma were lurking everywhere and no one was safe, no one would survive an entire hour without special training.

And they were students. Had never fought against an Akuma, some even never left Moyenne. How could they even _think_ of letting a group of students out of Paris?

"Don't worry," Madame Bustier tried to reassure them. "The military and us teachers are going to protect you, should the need arise. Some protectors and police officers offered their help as well, don't worry, you'll be fine. But I promise, you, you _will_ fight an Akuma and you _have_ to use your power. Should you hide or refuse to use your gift, you're going to fail."

Silence stretched like a blanket between the students. Dread pooled in Marinette's stomach. She had not even _seen_ an Akuma yet and now she was supposed to fight one with her nonexistent power.

Sighing, she exchanged a worried glance with Alya. That's going to be a rough day.

"The grading will take into account your creativity in solving the problems, the effectiveness, and the outcome," she explained further. "The grading in every test varies between A and E. A is the best, E the worst you can get. One E and you're out, three Cs and you're going to pass, but have to achieve at least one A at the end of the year to continue. Two Bs and you're secure. The mean is going to decide your entire grade. A and B as mean are secure, C has to work harder the next semester. Got it?.

Everyone nodded.

The cheery mood was gone, replaced by nervous jitters.

**That was the first chapter :) I'm really excited to share this story with you guys and I can't wait to hear what you think! An enormous thanks to my Beta RoseySparrow for editing everything!**

**I'll opload every Tuesday or Wednesday, but be prepared: This is going to be a huge project (maybe even worse than Butterfly Effect), so you're in for the long run :P.**

**Well, until next week then :P**


	2. Endurance and Knowledge

**For those who felt an Attack on Titan vibe: I have noooooo clue where you are coming from.**

**Anyway, again: A HUGE thanks to RoseySparrow for editing everything and thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed as well! Enjoy the next chapter, we're starting the Sorting ~**

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Chapter 2: Endurance and Knowledge

Two classes were meant to take the tests simultaneously. Madame Bustier met another teacher in the hallway, along with twenty other, very frightened students trailing behind.

Instantly, Marinette thanked the stars she managed to land in Madame Bustier's class, because Madame Mendeleiev was... strict. In hushed voices, the other students told them how Madame Mendeleiev threatened everyone with an E, should anyone step out of line. She had a strong voice, clipped language and didn't hesitate with detention.

Sighing, Marinette wished those other students good luck, heaven knows they will need it. Then, she turned back to her own friends and followed her class.

They were meant to do the obstacle course first.

Giddily, she changed into the simple, black full body suits the school provided for the test, stretching her arms and legs while everyone chatted around her.

When Madame Bustier called them into the gym, Marinette's eyes popped. Obstacle course was definitely a slight understatement.

There were walls they had to climb, entire _trees_ with ropes and rings to slip through, nets in various shapes and sizes to crawl under, over or whatever. Wall climbing, swinging, crawling and jumping.

That's not going to be easy for everyone. But Marinette was trained to jump over the roofs in the Safe Zone, running from the police. This obstacle course is going to be a breeze. She only worried about Alya. The girl was always a bit on the chubby side and favoured her laptop.

"Will you manage?" Marinette asked the brunette next to her and Alya waved her off.

"Honestly, I think when I manage _that_, you'll manage the fight. I just have to be fast, right? I can be fast."

Giggling, Marinette shrugged. Sure, Alya could be a bit faster than her, but she needed more than speed on this course.

The teachers called for their attention. "The faster you get through the course, the better your grade," Madame Mendeleiev explained. "We will pair you up in two, the grades are going to be announced when you finish the course. Now, to the pairs," Madame Mendeleiev announced and ticked off names from her list.

When she finished, it was Madame Bustier's turn and Marinette got paired with a bubbly, blonde girl. She was smaller than Marinette, but Rose seemed to be very kind, instantly giggling and telling her how bad she was in sports.

Marinette waved Alya good luck, since Alya's turn was first. She had been paired with that rude blond boy. Marinette listened to Rose chatter while Alya turned to the starting line. Rose really was endearing, voicing her concerns about the Sorting. She obviously was really bad in sports, as she told Marinette for the third time or so.

Marinette tried to reassure her, but her focus was soon drawn to the course, Alya was managing well enough, but was incredibly slow in comparison to the boy. He was practically flying, barely touching the floor or the handles or anything. In next to no time, he finished and Madame Bustier announced his grade.

He had managed an A, while Alya barely caught up, scoring a C.

"That was," Alya huffed and slumped on the floor next to Marinette, "awful," she wheezed. "So it's perfect for you." Another hassled breath. "Take care of that wall there," she sluggishly gestured across the course, "it's damn slippery."

Giggling, Marinette patted Alya's head. "One passed, two more to go. You're safe. The other two won't be hard on you."

"I know," Alya grinned. "I'm really excited for the test," she chuckled breathlessly. "My blog is not for nothing."

"Blog?" Rose asked, still standing next to Marinette. Another girl had joined them as well, but Marinette focussed on Alya.

"Yeah!" Alya exclaimed giddily. "You know, I have a blog dedicated to the Akuma, I know _everything_!"

"What is it called?" Rose asked, taking out her mobile. "Maybe we can do some last minute research," she giggled.

Alya quickly gave the address and grinned at Marinette. It was a great chance to advertise.

"Oh, I know your blog," someone said and Marinette turned around, instantly frowning. Chloé's blond friend was approaching them. "It's really well researched."

"Thanks?" Alya frowned.

"But there are a few mistakes, like-"

"Listen," Alya stepped in, not wanting to hear what he had to say. Might be better, because he was most likely lying anyway to confuse them. "I don't care whether you and Chloé think it would be funny to mess with us, but know that _I_ know my stuff and don't need your so called 'assistance'. Get lost, or I'll show you how assistance really works."

Alya then turned around with an angry frown and refused to look at him. Marinette glanced away as well, frowning. How could anyone be that mean?

The boy retreated again and Rose and the other girl with long, black hair were watching them. "I smell a background story," Rose whispered. "What was that?"

"Chloé, the girl with the ponytail," Marinette answered, because Alya was still seething, and gestured to Chloé at the obstacle course. "She was always bullying us in school and the two seem to be friends."

"Bullying is an understatement," Alya huffed, glaring around. "She was treating Marinette like scum, like some kind of unworthy... something. Always making fun, stealing things, messing with us. And no one does anything against her because that brat is the daughter of the mayor."

"Oh," Rose murmured. "Yeah, then we should avoid her, right?" she smiled. "And that boy. Even though he looks sad."

"He can look sad as much as he wants," Alya huffs, "He's most likely sad, because his plan to sabotage us failed."

Marinette glanced behind her, and indeed, he looked sad, his brows pulled into a frown, quietly talking to Sabrina. Shaking her head, Marinette turned her focus back to the girls in front of her.

Rose turned out to be really nice. A bit oblivious and naive, but nice nonetheless, soaking in all the last minute advice from Alya. Juleka, the quiet girl next to Rose, seemed to be nice as well, if a bit shy and reserved.

Before long it was Marinette's turn. With a smirk, she followed Rose to the starting line, doing some last minute stretching. She's going to have fun.

When the bell rang, signalling the start, Marinette sprinted on. Jumping over the first rock, she decided to spare her strength. She aimed for an A and with a sprint in the last third, she might be able to.

Barely registering her surroundings, she quickly approached the first climbing wall. It wasn't very high or demanding, but the grabbings were coated with a fine layer of... whatever. They shimmered lightly and were indeed very slippery.

Alya had been right, but Marinette paid them no further mind, she had managed worse. But she was careful, knowing six students had already fallen off and took care of securing her grip before she moved. It would cost more time, but it would be worse would she fall and have to climb the entire thing from the beginning.

Rose managed to get ahead, quite carefree as it seemed. They were near the top when Rose suddenly squealed and slipped off.

Reflexes kicking in, Marinette reached out and gripped the Blonde's wrist midfall.

The weight and momentum tore at Marinette's shoulder, she screamed when a sharp pain went through her shoulder down her arm and up her neck. Not dislocated, but it hurt like hell as long as Rose was still hanging on her. Luckily, the grip of her right at the wall was tight and she somehow managed to coordinate Rose to get a better grip at the wall again.

When she let go, Rose flashed her a thankful smile and she answered with a wobbly one.

That had cost her time, time she needed for the rest of the course should she pursue an A. Now, to even have a chance, she needed a full on sprint. No saving strength, no stalling.

Quickly hefting her body over the edge of the wall, she ignored the flaring pain in her shoulder and moved on. Swinging over to the next wall with the help of a rope, up and down the next wall, under a net and up another block, balancing on steel tubes and wires.

She ignored her protesting legs and the ache in her shoulder, ignored a cut on her cheek she received after standing up too soon after crawling under a wired net.

With the last of her strength, she raced across the line, collapsing at the end in a heap of heavy and pounding limbs. Alya was cheering, as well as some others and when she glanced up at Madame Bustier, she saw the teacher smile.

"A. A very tight one, but an A, Marinette. One second more and you would've had a B. Good work."

Laughing breathlessly, she leaned back again, joy replacing the angst that had consumed her insides during the race. She did it!

She was utterly tired now, her shoulder and legs hurting, but she managed to pass with flying colors! She couldn't be any happier.

Rose passed as well, a well-earned C, but she managed. As soon as she crossed the line, she slumped onto Marinette, drawing her in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much!" she sobbed. "I was so scared and I wouldn't have passed if you hadn't caught me," she cried.

Giggling, Marinette patted her shoulder. "It's okay, now let's go to the others."

"Yeah," Rose sobbed and stood up, offering her her hand. Marinette took it, but hissed when her shoulder got strained some more. "Gosh, are you hurt?" Rose fluttered around, but Marinette waved her off.

While Madame Mendeleiev called up the next pair, Madame Bustier turned to them again. "I'll get you some ice for your shoulder in a sec, we don't want you to get hurt that early," she smiled and nodded, heading off.

After receiving an ice-pack, she trotted back to Alya, Rose still at her heel, fretting over her. Sure, it was endearing, but Marinette felt fine, honestly. The ice pack was cooling the agitated limb and she tried not to move it too much, so as long as she did not agitate it any further, she really was _fine_.

:

By the time everyone finished, they already had three students with an E, who were supposed to leave soon after. Madame Mendeleiev's cold behaviour towards those that failed scared them and after a very heartfelt goodbye between two girls from her class, Marinette dreaded the moment when she had to leave.

Not only had she kind of befriended Rose and Juleka by now, but she was also getting to know the others. Aside from Chloé and that blond boy, whose name was Adrien, there were many nice people in their class.

Some were still hesitant. There was Max, who had also barely passed, who was able to control technologies and dissolve organic things to get energy. There was Alix, who had super speed, and Mylène who was able to feed off of feelings and grow in size. The stone boy, Ivan, didn't have much except super strength along with his attire, and Kim was able to grow papery wings on his back to fly.

When he boasted he was an unstoppable force with bow and arrow, Alix quickly called him Cupid. Everyone was laughing when he flushed and tried to pay it back to Alix, but it was a useless attempt against Alix' speed.

The hardest part was that Marinette liked those people. They were kind and fun to be with. She just had to try harder the next two tests, so she could pass the Sorting.

:

Adrien found himself back in his seat, a tablet shoved into his hand by a very hostile Alya.

Sighing, he placed it on his table, slumping in his seat. His first day was not at all what he had imagined. Half of the class hated him, because he was friends with Chloé, and the other half seemed to loathe him, because, well, he was friend with Chloé.

Chloé and Sabrina were the only ones on friendly terms. And the boy who sat next to him, who seemed to be uninterested.

Deciding that he was at least going to get on friendly terms with the boy, he turned to him with a friendly smile. "Hi, we didn't get to talk earlier, but I'm Adrien," he said, offering his hand, hoping, the boy would at least talk to him.

"Nino," the boy said, frowning uncomfortably. "You're friends with Chloé, right?"

"Yeah, but-" Adrien began, but Chloé interrupted them. By putting her foot out into the aisle, she tripped Marinette, who was walking by, returning the leftover tablets to Madame Bustier.

With a shriek Marinette crashed painfully to the floor, the tablets flying. Adrien quickly stood up, wanting to help her, but she only turned, glaring at him with a flushed face. When Chloé began to laugh and Sabrina snickering by her side, Marinette's head turned even redder. She was furious.

"Okay, I get it," she mumbled, ignoring his helping hand and stood up. Still glaring at him, she poked his chest, so Adrien stumbled back, surprised by her strength. "I hope you had fun making me trip and feel miserable, but I tell you: If you keep this up, you'll get it back somehow, I swear."

"Was this a threat?" Chloé snarled, still full of laughter.

Not letting Adrien out of her sight, she shook her head. "No, a promise," she huffed and turned to collect the tablets.

Defeated, Adrien slumped in his seat while Chloé continued throwing a fit. His day was awful.

"Why didn't you tell her it was Chloé?" Nino suddenly asked and Adrien turned to see a questioning glance at him.

"She's my only friend. I can't throw her under the bus like that," Adrien murmured, rubbing the aching spot on his chest where Marinette had poked him. That girl was stronger than she let on.

"Well, then, it's time to make some new friends," Nino smiled and offered his fist. Eyes wide, Adrien hesitantly knocked his knuckles against his. "But I would suggest you make up with Marinette. Without her, you're going to have a hard time. The class already loves her because of Rose's accident earlier."

"Thanks," Adrien smiled. "I'll try, but every time I try to approach her, she's twisting my words in my mouth," he grumbled. "Why does everyone assume I'm horrible?"

"You're... friends with Chloé?" Nino said, smirking. "But that's past," he laughed, hitting his shoulder. Hard. What was with everyone and hitting him? "For today, you got me and I'll try to help you."

"For today?" Adrien repeated.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "I don't think I'll pass the Sorting. Sorry, dude, but I don't take this too serious and after today, you're on your own."

"Why do you think you won't pass?"

Nino laughed, shifting his cap on his head nervously. "My gift is not the strongest, you know?"

Adrien wanted to ask further, but Madame Bustier interrupted them. "Okay, everyone listen carefully. This is an important exam. If anyone is caught cheating, they get an instant E and are out. So no cheating, no talking, no powers, understood?"

Everyone nodded. Adrien exchanged a look with Nino, who was flashing him a smile.

"Great. Now, the results will be announced as soon as you click the 'Submit' button in the upper right corner. There's no turning back, should you press the button by accident, every answer not answered will get you zero points. Every false answer, minus one. So, when you're unsure, better leave the answer out. Got it?"

When everyone nodded again, Madame Bustier signalled them to press start. The entire room fell silent when they studied the first question.

_Classify the Akuma. It has white eyes, long claws, glowing veins, runs on two legs and is approaching you with increased speed. No facial structures._

Adrien huffed. All around him were groaning as well, not having expected this. Classifying an Akuma was tricky. They could range in numbers from 1 to 10. 1 was recently transformed and easy to take out. When there's a 10, all you could do was run and pray.

Frowning, Adrien tried to picture it. It was only due to his homeschooling that he had ever really seen one. In pictures, but he knew the signs. The tricky part was that there were signs for more than one classification. The running on two legs showed he was at large in stage 3. The Akuma after that were walking on four. Increased speed was also speaking for three, but the glowing veins and no facial structures spoke for stage 5 or higher.

Choosing 4, simply because it was in the middle between the two, he moved on to the next question.

_You're hurt in battle, Akuma are surrounding you and their fluids are mingling with your blood. How are you going to find out whether you're infected or not?_

"What?!"

How about not at all? Surrounded by Akuma and you're worrying whether you're infected or not? Besides that Adrien didn't know the answer, he was confused.

A chuckling Nino next to him drew his gaze to the side. He was scribbling things across his tablet, laughing quietly in deep amusement.

Frowning, Adrien wondered what he found so amusing.

Leaving the box for the answer blank, Adrien moved on.

_A boy your age has the power to control your mind and read your thoughts. You don't like him, but dread being controlled, so you try to befriend them. How do you accomplish that?_

Again a question he had no answer to.

Nino laughed again in amusement and Adrien grew frustrated. Was it that easy for Nino to answer these questions? He had just told him, he wasn't taking the sorting too serious, so why was he laughing?

Glancing around, Adrien noticed how everyone was frowning and Rose had even tears in her eyes. He remembered Madame Bustier saying the same this morning as Nino just had done. They shouldn't take it too serious.

Skipping through the rest of the questions, Adrien noticed every single one had some hidden meaning, some where you should make priorities according to the described situation. It was not a test of their knowledge, but rather their wisdom in certain situations. How they would cope with problems facing them and whether it was clever to act a certain way.

Another chuckle from Nino drew him back to his test. Going back to the first question, he erased his answer and wrote that you should favour running away or fighting it, worrying about the classification at some later point. Just to be certain, he added the 4 as well.

He skipped through the rest and just when he was through a good three fourths, he heard Nino next to him gasp and pale.

Turning to him, he noticed that he had obviously pressed 'Submit' and the screen was showing a bright, dancing A.

Smirking, Adrien watched his pale face, gaping incredulously and not comprehending. Then suddenly, his face turned thoughtful, when suddenly realization hit him. "Oh my god," he whispered and turned to Adrien.

Adrien flashed him a broad smile and a thumbs up. Well done, Nino.

Quickly finishing, he pressed the green button as well and after a few seconds, the same dancing A flickered across his screen.

He was owing Nino big time. Without him, Adrien would have never figured the test out.

Bumping his knuckles against Nino's, who was overjoyed, he turned to the front where Madame Bustier was smiling broadly at them.

Not long and their time was up. Many groaned and murmur broke out. Adrien finally turned to Nino with a broad grin. "I owe you, Nino," he snickered. "Without your constant giggles, I would have never guessed what they wanted from us."

"Honestly," Nino laughed breathlessly. "I had no clue what I was doing, I just found it funny to mess around."

"I could guess as much," Adrien laughed. Then, he made the mistake of turning around. "How was-?" he began, trying to strike up a conversation with the girls behind them.

"Shut it, Agreste," Alya grumbled with a deep frown. "We don't need your pity."

Marinette had her head buried in her arms. "Did you fail?" Nino asked, joining the conversation.

"No," Alya grumbled, "but we both have a C, so you better watch out for the next."

"Cool," Nino smiled and turned back to the front, tugging Adrien with him. "Listen," he began with a whisper. "I'll repeat myself. If you want to make friends in this class, you need to make up with Marinette and Alya. Everyone loves them for what Marinette did with Rose earlier. Your social future depends on her. Got it?"

"Yeah, but every time I try to talk to them, _this_ happens. Alya cutting me off and Marinette accusing me of something. I don't know what to do," he whined.

"Just be yourself," Nino smiled and hit his arm again. Rubbing the aching spot, he glanced behind his back, Marinette comforting Alya.

"Okay. But later. What do you think of lunch first?" Adrien smiled, wanting to get to know Nino better.

"God I'm starving!" Nino laughed. "Any idea where to go?"

Adrien nodded and told him of a café he had seen on his way to school this morning. Nino knew it and they quickly decided to head over there for the break they had earned.

Madame Bustier quickly told them to meet in two hours at the east station of Moyenne and then she set them free. Two more students from their class had failed.


	3. Behind the Walls

Chapter 3: Behind the Walls

Lunch was uneventful. Marinette went with Alya home, excitedly telling her parents that she had already passed two tests, the first one with an A. Alya was kind of bummed, because she had only managed two Cs.

"But you're lucky," Marinette tried to comfort her on her way to the station. Dread and angst were churning in her stomach and she wanted to talk to dissipate the dark aura surrounding them. "Your power is strong and you're clever and resourceful. You'll get an A in the next. That sums up to a B and then you're safe," Marinette nodded, glancing to the sides so as not to get run over by any passing cars.

"The same goes for you, girl. You aced the obstacle course. A C is all you need," Alya grumbled. "You know, it just sucks that they barely let us pass earlier. I don't know about you, but _I _had everything correctly answered. It's not my fault that they wanted to hear something other than what they asked."

"Come on, it's really not that bad-"

"But I wanted an A!" Alya stressed. Again. She had not talked about anything else for the last two hours. "It's unfair, really."

"I know," Marinette giggled. Silence fell again when they approached the station. In front of the iron main gate, a few students were already huddled together. Marinette noticed Ivan and Kim between them.

"Hey, guys," she smiled, drawing closer. "How was your lunch?"

"Great," Kim exclaimed. "My parents were very pleased with an A and a B."

"Mine not so much," Ivan mumbled. "Two Cs is hardly a good grade."

Rose and Juleka joined them, and when Madame Bustier arrived, ten minutes before their train was supposed to leave, most of the students were present. Eventually, they mounted and rode off. Madame Mendeleiev's class joined them and the combined classes took an entire wagon for themselves. To pass the time, the teachers explained their next task.

"When we arrive at the last station, the military will await us there and go through the security measurements with you," Madame Bustier explained. "But there are a few rules from us as well. First of all: No teams."

Murmur broke out and Marinette's dread felt like a rock in her stomach. She had hoped to cling to Alya and be fine for the duration of the test.

"And when we say no teams we mean: No. Teams." Madame Mendeleiev stressed, glancing around with a strong, determined gaze. "We have our methods to monitor your behavior, so don't try to fool us."

"Make use of your surroundings and your traits," Madame Bustier added, with a side glance to Madame Mendeleiev that Marinette found strange. "Make tactical choices and care for each other."

"But be careful," Madame Mendeleiev grumbled. "The fields and forests are full of Akuma. Nothing major got sighted, but even when you release a stress signal for us to get you, we need a few minutes to actually get to your position. And any signal will alert more Akuma, so you better think twice before you call us."

A blonde girl from the other class raised her hand and Madame Mendeleiev gestured for her to speak. "When we call you, will that end with a failed exam?"

"No," Madame Bustier answered before Madame Mendeleiev could. "We simply have to grade you for your previous performance but if there's not much to grade or what is there isn't great, the grade _can_ be an E."

"You should feel lucky," Madame Mendeleiev said, "It's only due to the special circumstances that you'll be allowed to finish before the time is up. If you were being tested in our Arena, you would receive an instant E."

"That's good," Alya mumbled, "at least you don't have to be out there the entire time, huh?"

Marinette nodded and listened some more to their teachers, explaining the area and their tasks. They were about to be on their own for three hours. Fighting Akuma of different level, but not a single one higher than stage 4 was sighted. They were to be provided with water and knives, ropes and a flare gun to alert the military and their teachers.

It sounded easy. Marinette thought. She was determined to last the entire time, just not using her powers. They would have to grade her on her performance sans gift. Maybe they would have some mercy and let her continue to go to school.

They eventually reached the outskirts of the Safe Zone and passed the second wall, entering into the Outer Ring.

Marinette had been here a few times. There was a farmer who made a corn labyrinth every few years. Marinette liked the fields and the forest. It felt very freeing in contrast to the Safe Zone and Moyenne.

"Wow," she heard many exclaim, watching the fields pass by and shadows roll over the grass. Yes, it was magnificent, but the view was merely hiding the horrible truth. They were prisoners behind thick walls after all.

Marinette did not like the Outer Ring. A false sense of hope.

They eventually reached the last station, the eastern gate to Outside. An elevator brought them up on the balustrade. Some officers were waiting there, as well as the mayor and a few parents as it seemed. Alya's father was among them.

He waved to them and they waved back, grinning from ear to ear. If he was there to look after them, it might be not too bad.

"He didn't tell me," Alya frowned. "Why did he not tell me?"

"Maybe he didn't want to ruin the surprise?" Marinette suggested and tugged Alya along. "Now come on, the others are already waiting."

:

The General did not tell them much new. They had three hours to finish their task. Red flags were bordering the zone. Pass them and you were instantly fetched to go home. It was a gigantic area though, and he told them they were unlikely to cross the border.

They were to work alone. Everyone got handed a rucksack containing everything needed, the flare gun strapped to their hip for easy access.

Marinette quickly checked for her own dagger and yoyo, careful to have everything secured and fixed. Taking her favourite jacket out of her bag, she threw it over the suit from the academy. She noticed many people were doing as she had, adding their own personal flare to their uniform outfits. Her jacket was her lucky charm. Red leather and black protection at arms and shoulders. A Ladybug charm on her right chest.

"I like your jacket," someone suddenly said, and Marinette was faced with Adrien. He wore a personal jacket as well. Black leather with a fabric hood with cat ears. It had a bell on the zipper.

She huffed a thanks and turned, talking to Alya and Rose, ignoring the blond. Why was he always insisting on talking with her? It was irritating.

Eventually, some soldiers led them back to the elevator. Driving down, not to the station, but further, they stopped at level zero.

"Okay, I'll let you out with two minutes in between. When you step out, be prepared to be attacked."

This time, the students stayed silent, fear permeating the air. Then, the General gestured to the first student that happened to be Kim and told him to move to an innocuous looking door. Kim nodded and slipped through. One after the other, each student called vanished through the gate.

Marinette's nerves were peaking. The stone of dread that had accompanied her throughout the day in her stomach seemed to have moved, making a new home in her intestines. And it had brought friends, it seemed. Butterflies were fluttering through her limbs, making them tingle, her head felt as if she was under water.

Time seemed to slow down when it was Alya's turn. Then hers. Her ears rang when she slipped past the door and darkness engulfed her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the low light and she was eventually able to make out her surroundings.

Marinette stood in a small tunnel, made of the same stone as the wall. Anxiously, she stepped ahead and pulled out her dagger. The weight was only slightly comforting. She felt a breeze flow through the tunnel and ruffle her hair.

This was it. This was either her chance at glory and staying in school, or the day where she died. Mentally or physically was still to be announced.

She stepped forward, sweat already forming under her armpits and on her temples.

The tunnel ahead opened up to a large meadow. The grass was dancing around her knees, brushing her hip. There were already some paths ahead, where her classmates had travelled. She choose one to her right, leading to a forest.

Something in the back of her head said it was never good to be out in the open, so she crouched a bit lower, barely peeking above the swaying grass and gripped her dagger tighter.

With a gulp, she proceeded.

It was eerily quiet, the ringing in her ears had intensified to an almighty rushing, the silence was deafening.

Deep breaths. Careful steps. Listening closely.

She followed one of the the trails for some while, always staying low. That was until a scream pierced the air and barking followed. Pressing herself close to the earth below her feet, she listened for any indication of how close the fight was. Some more barking, then a strangled sound and there was silence again.

Gulping, she deemed it safe enough to move on, but she almost instantly stumbled upon a dead Akuma. He was lying on the ground, barely visible anymore, because he was crushed under a gigantic rock. Only one if it's arms and it's lower body poked out.

She doubted it had been Ivan, but maybe someone else with super strength? Or something else? She did not dwell further on it, merely stepping around the rock and pushing further through the high grass.

Marinette would have to leave the trail eventually, so she headed left towards the forest, when the trail was about to turn right, avoiding what she deemed to be the safer option.

It was not long until she reached the first tree. Using it as a cover, she glanced above the meadow to the wall protecting her home.

She knew the wall and Paris were tall and such, but seeing it from the other side was creepy. Marinette was so scared right now. Her hands trembled, the knife shaking and her breath was laboured, barely able to raise her chest. She felt lightheaded.

Taking another deep breath to calm her nerves, she turned around and headed further into the trees. They were thick and the soft ground was muffling her steps.

Noticing she had next to no cover after some time, she contemplated whether it would be wise to stay by the bushes. Were Akuma hiding in bushes?

Suddenly something cracked nearby and she flinched around. Not seeing anything, she pressed her back to a thick tree, glancing to all sides.

Just when she was about to dismiss the noise to her nerves, she heard another loud crack. It was much more louder and came not from a side.

It came from above.

Gulping, she glanced up and just above her head hung a beast, upside down, facing her.

Her mind first did not really process what it was. It was light purple. It had white eyes with slitted pupils, so thin, they were barely visible. It huffed through a long nose and the warm air hit Marinette's face.

Stage 2, her slow mind processed. Akuma. Danger.

Yelping, she flinched from the tree, running a few paces and stopping, facing the creature. Her heart raced, when the beast suddenly leaped after her, his mouth wide open, bearing two rows of fangs, ready to pierce her skin.

Out of reflex, she swung her dagger, meeting the creatures heart when it was tackling her. They rolled a bit over the ground, but it eventually went limp, warm fluids coating her hands that held her dagger tight.

Breathing heavily, she shoved the dead Akuma from her body, she was shaking and pale. Gosh, she had never been so scared. Quickly pulling the dagger out of the breast, she tumbled to her feet, raising the dagger higher, threatening the Akuma to move.

It didn't.

With a sigh of relief, she scolded herself. She was supposed to use her gift. Next time she would... sparkle the hell out of those things. Yeah... maybe not.

"Wow, are you okay?"

This time she screamed.

Not having anticipated that the slightest, she swung her dagger around, flailing and tripping over the dead body, hitting her head on the ground.

"Sorry, sorry," the boy said, stepping closer, his hands raised in surrender. "I didn't mean to startle you."

It was one of her classmates, she noticed, a bright red cap. Nino.

Growling, she pushed herself up, kicking the dead Akuma from her and shook the leaves from her blood-sticky hands.

The black blood from the Akuma was still covering her and making her hands feel weird. "It's okay," she mumbled, "was just surprised. But honestly, what are you doing here?"

"I saw you getting attacked and wanted to help, but you seemed to manage fine."

"Yeah, no clue how I did that," Marinette laughed, grabbing the offered hand to help her stand up. "I'm Marinette, by the way."

"Nino," he nodded and let her go, wiping the goo from his hand. "So, I guess your gift isn't all that strong either?"

"What?"

"Well," Nino drawled, "I might have overheard Chloé a few times during the day, but I also saw your reflex was to raise the knife first. If you trusted your abilities, they would have been your first choice."

Sighing, she shrugged. "Yeah, I'm kinda still stuck in Kindergarten, you know? Sparkles and nothing else. You?"

Nino laughed and formed a small o with his index and thumb. Blowing through his fingers, bubbles rose up into the sky. They were beautiful and glittered in the low sun of the forest.

"Wow," Marinette gushed. "What else?"

"Nothing," Nino laughed. "I can do it with both hands though," he laughed and mirrored with his let his right, blowing through both and producing even more bubbles.

Marinette joined his laughter and realized she may not be alone in her misery after all. "But as you're not able to kill one with your sparkles," Marinette shook her head at the indirect question, "want to team up? We might as well protect each other if we're going to fail anyway."

"Madame Bustier told us not to team up," Marinette frowned and glanced to the Akuma, reviewing the speech they heard on the train. "But she told us to use our resources, be tactical and take care of each other," she grinned.

Nino grinned back and an alliance was formed. "In order to survive, I propose to combine our forces. That's not a team, but a treaty," Nino nodded.

Marinette laughed, but stopped short, hearing another crack nearby. Both looked above this time, not seeing anything in the high canopy. "But... maybe we should move," Nino suggested and Marinette could only nod.

They quickly hurried back to where were fewer trees and higher grass, bushes to provide cover. They walked for some time and, with a glance to her watch, she noticed they had been out for barely thirty minutes. It felt like an eternity though.

"Stop," Nino suddenly hushed and held her back, crouching behind a bush.

Marinette held her breath and glanced into the direction where Nino seemed to have spotted something.

Indeed, there was an Akuma quite similar to the one Marinette had just killed. He was walking on two legs, sniffing around. His back was arched and purple veins criss crossed his fair skin, turning it deeper in patches.

Level 2. Maybe 3.

Exchanging a glance with Nino, Marinette drew closer to his ear, lowering her voice so as not to alert it. "We are supposed to use our powers. So let's do just that."

At Nino's confused glance, Marinette concentrated on her hands, making them glow pink. Red sparkles fell from her palm and she directed them across the ground, circling the Akuma who was currently sniffing at another bush.

Nino seemed to understand. Distraction.

Some powers were active ones, some passive. You just needed to figure out how to use your gift, Marinette guessed.

Quickly catching up, Nino blew into his fingers, creating with Marinette's sparkles a beautiful dome around the Akuma. When the creature noticed what was up, he was quickly entranced by the sight.

Akuma were dumb. They could easily fool one.

Marinette quickly gestured that she was going to attack from behind, Nino should not stop producing bubbles. He nodded and wished her good luck.

Gulping down her nerves, she slipped out of the bush, gripping her dagger tighter again. Her breath slowed and her steps were muffled by the soft ground. She could do this.

Just when she was about a meter behind the Akuma, raising her dagger, someone suddenly screeched behind her and the Akuma whipped around, fixing her with its hollow gaze.

"No, I _refuse_ to be saved by Marinette _Dupain-Cheng._" Chloé.

Gulping, Marinette leaped back, her nerve leaving her in a rush. Running back, she passed Chloé and grabbed the girl's wrist tightly, pulling her along.

Chloé screeched, but when she noticed the Akuma was on their heels, she was screaming and running along. Marinette passed Nino and called at him to stay covered, pushing Chloé in his general direction.

The girl tumbled and landed next to Nino, both hidden. Marinette turned to the Akuma, catching his attention even more for throwing her dagger at him. It met his arm and it screeched, falling into his hands and growling. The black blood oozing out of the wound and filled the air with a foul stench. Okay, level 3, definitely level 3.

Picking up speed, she ran ahead, trying to get the Akuma away from Nino and Chloé.

The Akuma was instantly at her heels, coming very close a few times. But then, Marinette made quick turns, ducked under fallen trees or jumped over stray rocks, using her yoyo to get around the tight corners and being able outrun it.

At one point it managed to get a grip on her backpack, but Marinette quickly shrugged out of it and continued to run. She passed one or two of her classmates, but the Akuma paid them no mind, simply racing after Marinette with clumsy attempts, altering between running on all fours or on two legs. It sometimes crashed into trees, but didn't stop his pursuit.

She just managed to get a bit of distance after slapping a few low hanging branches in his face, when she suddenly stumbled into an open area. A branch of the Seine was flowing by.

Hoping for all the stars that her clumsiness wouldn't strike again, she quickly hopped over a few stones in the river.

The water was flowing under her feet, the current strong and ungiving. But she seemed to be lucky, her speed was high enough to keep her from being caught easily, her feet did not slip because of the high quality of her boots.

When she reached the other side, she turned around, just in time to see the Akuma flailing in the water, about to drown a good few paces further down.

Finally able to catch her breath, she groaned and fell on her rear, not caring for the smaller stones poking her flesh. Gasping, she tried to control her racing heart again and her collapsing lungs.

She had just outrun an Akuma. That... was something. With a groan, she fell on her back, watching the clouds pass by overhead. The adrenaline and euphoria were running high in her, lulling her in a false sense of safety.

Marinette closed her eyes for only a few seconds, enjoying the warm rays from the sun, the light breeze and the bubbling from the river at her feet.

That was until something suddenly stepped between her and the sun.

Again, her blood froze. She shouldn't have stayed. Praying to all the gods that might listen, that it was just one of her classmates and not another Akuma, she slowly peeked an eye open.

Obviously she had used all her luck by passing the river and now there was a purple face ahead.

Gulping, Marinette sat up, all colour draining from her face. She had not had her dagger with her. It was somewhere with Nino and he was who knows how far away. And her backpack was lost.

She watched the Akuma hovering close by and took time to look at him. It was definitely of a higher range than the previous ones.

It crouched on all fours, arms and legs thin, barely holding his weight as he glided to the right, watching Marinette carefully.

His face was blank, his skin a deep purple with glowing veins and eyes. The mouth was barely a hole, white, sharp teeth reflecting the light. On his arched back were two wings, thin and fragile, but able to hold the weight of the creature that was about three metres tall.

Level 9.

Marinette had no chance against a level 9. Why was a level 9 here? They were extremely rare, most of the creatures died at a far earlier level, the body breaking and collapsing, not able to transform higher than 6, maybe 7. But regardless, Akuma in that forest were not supposed to be any higher than 4!

Glancing quickly to the river, she remembered the General laughing about one corner being an untameable river. But they were not supposed to worry about that, they were not able to cross it anyway.

My ass.

Glancing back to the Akuma, she let go her yoyo that she had gripped in panic. It was heavy, but quite useless in any situation like that. She had no chance against a level 9. She had crossed the border and was now to pay for her recklessness. Her breath layered out and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see how the Akuma prowled around her. Went to attack her.

A calm filled her and the absolute knowledge that that was it. That was how she would die.

Clicking stones around her told her where the Akuma was. It was close.

Eventually, she felt a warm breath on her skin and she involuntarily opened her eyes, being face to face with it. With him, she realized. The expressionless head tilted comically to the side. The glowing white eyes staring into her soul.

She did not know why, but the calm and the storm raging inside her, the fear of being eaten mingled weirdly with a strange secure she felt deep within.

Marinette began to giggle.

And when the Akuma turned his head to the left, his lips twitching as if to mirror her laughter, she imagined to hear a name.

_ Lady Luck_.

As if on their own accord, her hands suddenly raised, hovering close to the Akuma's face. She had to do something. What? Anything.

That was when a scream suddenly pierced the calm around them. A black blur racing past and catching Marinette's jacket, hefting their arms around her waist while the Akuma suddenly turned dull and crumbled to ash.

"What-?!"

Turning around, she saw a blond head and a dozen or so Akuma surrounding them. Various stages, various snarling mouths.

"Marinette, what were you _thinking_?!" he hissed and Marinette realized who had just saved her. Adrien.


	4. The Grading

Chapter 4: The Grading

Adrien was just strolling around the forest, still waiting for an Akuma to attack him. He had been out for nearly an hour now and nothing had happened yet.

Sighing in frustration, he kicked a pebble away. Who said it was dangerous out here? It was _boring_.

Slumping against a tree in defeat, he glanced up at the bark, the sun glittering through the green leaves, creating peace and a calm he rarely was able to enjoy.

That was until he heard footsteps, thumping across the ground in a manic run. Glancing around, he just saw a red blur pass him, flowing pigtails. Marinette! Maybe he could talk to-

His train of thought was interrupted when an Akuma raced past him as well, hot on Marinette's tail.

Gasping, he quickly followed as well. Chloé had told him many stories throughout the day, how weak Marinette was, how 'pathetic'. She had next to no power and was currently being chased by a wild Akuma.

Maybe if he saved her, she would at least _talk_ to him. Adrien had seen how fast Marinette could be, but she was surely not fast enough to outrun an Akuma.

Speeding up, he caught sight of the Akuma attempting to cross a river. Marinette was ahead, jumping gracefully from stone to stone, crossing the rapids as if they were clouds. The Akuma tried to follow, but was soon caught in the current and was dragged away.

Glancing to Marinette, he tried to catch her attention to tell her to get the hell back, but the girl was currently resting on her back, breathing heavily.

He called her name, but she did not seem to hear him, the river was too loud. Frowning, Adrien glanced around. The General had told them to not cross the river. Like the flags, it was a border and past that border lingered Akumas far worse than they were able to take on.

As if to prove his point, he noticed glowing eyes in the darkness behind Marinette. Akuma level 6 or higher. Far worse than the one Marinette had just managed to outrun. Glancing to the stones Marinette had just gracefully leaped over, Adrien decided that he was not able to mirror her.

They were very slippery and some of them too small to even consider placing his foot there. He had no clue how Marinette had managed that task. Groaning, he turned to his right and ran down the river, hoping he would get to her in time, hoping he would find a way to pass the river before it was too late.

Increasing his speed, he saw a tree blocking half the river, the other half was covered in stones. That was his bridge.

Leaping onto the trunk, it protested under his weight and splintered, but Adrien was already over and gone. A huge leap between a stone and the other bank and he was over. The tree was down, so he had no means of returning with Marinette. They would need to find another way.

Gasping, he began his sprint once more, back up the river. Adrien prayed he would not come back to find her in pieces. That Akuma had been close. Maybe she was hurt, but he would be able to save her. He _had_ to save her.

His feet crunched on the shore, stones clicking together and tumbling in the river.

Soon, he realized that it had not only been one Akuma, but more. He didn't know how many, but he saw the huge one crouching over Marinette, his wings flared and risen, creating a huge shadow.

"Cataclysm!" he called, focussing all of his energy into his right hand, all his hope of not being too late.

Adrien touched the leathery skin of the Akuma's back, black coal spreading and bubbling quickly over the skin, but Adrien barely paid them any mind. He just grabbed _something_ of Marinette and hoisted her over his shoulder, leaving only ashes behind.

The girl struggled in his grip, which was a great sign, but he just realized that they were surrounded. A few too many Akuma prowled and growled, circling them.

"Adrien, what are you _doing_?!" Marinette hissed and hit his back. "Let me down. Now."

"Now's not the time to make wishes, Princess," he hissed back, barely realizing the name slipping past his lips. He was just _so_ glad that he arrived on time.

Suddenly, an Akuma leaped at them, fangs bared, claws risen, ready to attack them. Adrien leaped to the side, breaking back into a run, tightly securing Marinette on his shoulder.

"Watch out!" she called and tugged violently at his jacket, making him lose his balance and tumble sideways, an Akuma soared above them. They rolled down a sloppy hill, the world a muddy and green blur around them. Coming to a stand in the middle of a meadow, they barely managed to right their senses of up and down when Adrien heard rapidly approaching footfalls. Glancing around, Adrien noticed a small hole in the ground, roots of a tree had formed an awning, just big enough for both of them to hide under.

"Quick," he hissed and tugged her under, drawing her close to his chest while rolling into their hiding place. They would not be able to outrun these, so they needed to hide and pray none would find them.

They held their breath and listened closely. A few were close by, they could hear their breathing. Adrien feared they would hear them as well. Their breathing was labored from all the running, Marinette having not even remotely recovered from her earlier run and her near death experience and Adrien from having to carry her and having nearly his heart ripped out at the sight of his classmate in danger.

Their hearts were pounding, they were too loud. Too loud.

Leaves rustled nearby, the Akuma's noises increased and – passed by. Another beasts came close from time to time, but none seemed to notice them. Only once an Akuma nearly discovered their hideout, setting down his foot directly in front of their faces and giving both of them a heart attack. But it passed as well.

They stayed there for quite some time.

It was Marinette who broke the silence. "We have only thirty minutes to get back home," she whispered careful to not disturb any lingering Akuma. Was it already that late?

"Okay," he whispered, "I'll have a quick peek and then we can try to get back over the river."

Marinette's head moved against his chest, indicating a nod.

Adrien took a deep breath and shimmied out from behind her, glancing around the meadow. No Akuma there. Crouching low, he risked a glance above their hideout and was met with the silent forest.

"All clear," he whispered, refusing to talk normally until they were in a secure area.

Huffing, Marinette left the secure roots as well, glancing around on her own. That was when he noticed she was clutching her arm a bit too tight, red coating her fingers.

"Are you hurt?"

Frowning, Marinette glanced at her arm. "That Akuma that made us fall, he managed to get me. But it's not too bad, it's barely hurting anymore."

Sighing, he decided to take care of that when they were secure again. "Come on, let's go home," he murmured, gently placing a hand on her back and guiding her back to the river.

They walked in silence, anxious about meeting another Akuma. Their eyes were flickering left and right, his hand refusing to let her back go. He'd be damned if she were to get hurt again because of him.

When they reached the river, Marinette gasped and headed a bit to their left to the shore, retrieving something small and red. Adrien hurried after and again stepped close, glancing to the small object. It was read and had five black dots in the middle. It looked like a Ladybug.

"A yoyo?"

"Yeah, I'm quite fond of it and it's proved to be useful more than once already," she explained and glanced up the river. "I managed to cross it _here_?"

"I wondered the same," he chuckled and tugged her further up the river, the opposite side from where he had come from. "Come on, let's find a more secure way," he said and Marinette followed him.

They were still anxiously eyeing the forest on both sides and eventually managed to find a place with currents only half as strong and with flat stones lining both banks.

Back in secure land, they headed in the general direction of Paris. They couldn't wait to get back to safety. Crossing paths with one or two more Akuma, they quickly skirted around them and were easily back on the meadow leading them inside.

"Ten more minutes," Marinette sighed and headed on, crossing the meadow easily, Adrien at her heel.

Soldiers whisked them inside and Marinette got quickly tugged away by Alya. Frowning, Adrien had hoped to talk to her now that they were no longer in danger.

Sighing, he turned to find Nino throwing him a large smile. "Did you manage to talk to her?"

"No," Adrien shook his head, yawning. He was suddenly very exhausted. "But I managed to save her, it has to count for something, right?"

"Bro," Nino chuckled and clapped his shoulder. "You really have the worst luck, you know this?"

He simply shrugged. "How was your evening?"

"Well," Nino laughed. "Full of a bratty Blonde who clung to me, screamed for her daddy and alerted every Akuma surrounding us. I ditched her and ran. Managed to knock an Akuma out though."

"Cool," Adrien exclaimed. "Any chances you'll get a C?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Nino shrugged. "But I managed to save Alya, that must count for something right?"

"You what?"

"Yeah," Nino laughed, "she was surrounded by two Level 3 and she just panicked. I came up with my super cool bubbles, distracted the Akuma, so she could knock them out," he laughed. "You know she plays the flute?"

"No?" Adrien chuckled.

"Well, that thing hurts," he groaned. "She hit me over the head after I startled her."

Laughing, Adrien clapped his back. "You should stop doing that."

"Yeah."

:

"Nooroo?"

"Yes, master?"

The room was quiet, dark. Feet shuffled, fabric rustled. Two men stood at the centre, barely illuminated by the artificial light hanging from the ceiling in the floor outside. The door letting only little light inside.

They were clearly colleagues of some sort, the first man more intimidating than poor Nooroo.

"Did you feel that?"

"Destruction?" Nooroo asked.

The first man only chuckled. "No. Creation. She finally awakened."

:

It was only a few minutes until the last student returned to the group and they boarded the train, bringing them back to the school.

Adrien wasn't as tired as most of his classmates. That might be because he hadn't done quite much. With a cringe he realized that he had done _nothing_ in the realms of their secured patch of land.

Sure, he had killed a Level 9, but that was outside. And he ran from the rest, not even coming close to a fight back in their small patch of land.

Sighing, he hoped that his teachers had eyes on them even outside. Because, technically, he had had no fight with his powers, resulting in an instant E. Groaning, he hit his head against the glass window.

What would his father say when he came home, not able to attend the academy? Oh. Well. Actually, his father might enjoy it, much to Adrien chagrin. He didn't want to resume to being schooled by tutors and Nathalie. Maybe he could ask to get to a normal school instead? Meet up with Nino or Marinette?

No, both had fought. Both were graded. Was it too much to hope they would fail, only to accompany him? Most likely.

Glancing to the girl a few seats over from him, Adrien smiled. She was dead asleep, leaning on Alya, who seemed to be napping away as well. Most of his class were sleeping, exhausted by the day's events. It was only 4 pm, but the fights seemed to have taken their toll. Even Nino, who had his cap drawn into his face, his headphones over his ears had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply.

Only few were chatting, quietly so as not to disturb the others, exchanging stories of what happened outside.

Adrien was just listening in to a girl telling the story of how she got cornered in the inside of a massive tree trunk, when Nino jolted awake next to him, startling Adrien.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nino mumbled, drawing his headphones from his head. "Just thought an Akuma was nearby. Man, I swear, I'm going to have nightmares for quite some time."

Chuckling, Adrien bumped his shoulder against Nino's. "Don't worry, they'll pass eventually."

Nino mumbled something more and then blinked around the cabin. "Someone is missing, why is it so quiet?"

Chuckling, Adrien raised his arm shaking it. "Oh, you're right, my arm is feeling lighter than usual, I think a Blonde is missing."

Upon Nino's narrowed eyes, Adrien shook his head. "It seems after you dumped Chloé, she panicked and got taken back home. Sabrina told me."

Nino hummed and glanced around. "A few more are missing as well."

"Yeah,it seems many got scared."

"'It seems'?" Nino huffed. "Somehow, I have the feeling, you don't quite understand the drama."

Shrugging, Adrien tried to explain. "It was freaky. Especially if you're surrounded by a hundred or so, but most of the time, I didn't do much."

"Explain."

Scratching his head, Adrien shrugged. "I was out there for an entire hour and nothing happened. It was Marinette bolting away from a Level 3 that got me something to do, actually."

"Ah," Nino nodded, rubbing his eye and yawning. "Then you saved her. You still have to tell me the story."

Adrien hummed. "It was not much, really." He couldn't explain Nino they had left the area _and_ that he killed a level 9. That was far beyond anything he was supposed to manage. "We mostly ran away and hid when we were surrounded by far more Akuma than we were able to beat. When they were scattered, it was time to go back. At least you're not the only one that might not pass," Adrien smirked ruefully.

"Oh," Nino blinked. "I'm sorry, Bro, honestly." A few seconds of silence and a large grin spread on his face. "Maybe you could come to my school!"

"That would be really nice," Adrien smiled and glanced around. "But I would first have to talk to my father. Honestly, it would be more likely to win against an army of Akuma than persuading my father to let me out."

"That's awful. But it couldn't hurt to try, right?"

"Right."

They smiled and chatted some more about school, Nino describing his old one. He had been in a few classes with Alya and Marinette and he laughed, because neither had recognized him. In return, Adrien told him about his home-schooling, telling him how one of his tutors once came in ill and fell asleep during an exercise, so he had many hours for himself until the tutor got shooed home by Nathalie.

He also told Nino of his many extracurriculars. Then, Nino told him about his music, that he was DJing sometimes and that Adrien could accompany him during one of his gigs.

By the time they arrived back at the station and went back to the school, they had established something that Adrien would call a friendship. But he was socially awkward, so he only hoped the best.

:

Back in the academy, Madame Bustier lead them back to their classroom and Marinette was just awake enough to realize she was announcing their grades.

Sighing, she avoided Alya's gaze, not wanting to see the disappointment, should Marinette not make it. She did her best, but sometimes, your best is not enough.

"Adrien Agreste," Madame Bustier began and Marinette's gaze flickered to the blond boy in front of her. He had saved her earlier. But he was still a dick. "A in the final test, sums up to A. Congratulations."

A dick with good grades.

He was whispering quietly with Nino, who went pale and shook his head. Groaning, Marinette hit her head on her desk. She didn't like tests. And the results were even worse this time.

Ivan Bruel passed as well, the next one was Alya. "Alya Césaire. A in the final test, sums up to a tight B. Congratulations."

Alya whooped and shoved Marinette, telling her excitedly how she managed to kill two Akuma in one go with one of her illusions. Again. Juleka passed as well with a B and a girl called Marie got an E.

The next one was her. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. E in the final test. I'm sorry."

"That's not fair," Nino piped up. "I saw her kill at least two Akuma."

"And she saved me at the obstacle course," Rose argued as well.

Madame Bustier raised her hands and Marinette tried to hold back her tears. "But she did not use her gift. That was the main point of the test.

"That's not true," Nino began again, "she distracted that one from Chloé. That must count for something."

Tuning the voices out, Marinette rubbed at her eyes. She would not cry in front of everyone. Not in front of Alya.

"It's okay, guys, really," she whispered and stood up, taking her bag. "I'll... I'll see you around, I guess."

Without looking at Nino or Alya, she went past Madame Bustier's desk and was about to grab the handle of the door, when the teacher stopped her. "Marinette? Are you hurt?"

"Huh?" turning back around, she watched Madame Bustier come closer. She inspected her arm where she had been hurt earlier, the blood still clinging to her jacket and arm. "Oh, it doesn't hurt, really."

She just wanted to go home.

"Let me see, you may need a nurse," Madame Bustier frowned and pushed the stiff leather aside, showing only bare skin. "Huh. Nothing there."

"Madame, she was hurt pretty badly," Adrien objected. "The blood is hers. An Akuma had grabbed her and made us tumble to the ground."

Madame Bustier nodded and made her remove her jacked to inspect her arm any further. Aside from dried blood and the ripped suit, nothing was there.

Marinette as well found that quite weird, she _knew_ she had been hurt, because it rendered her entire arm useless for at least an hour. But she wanted to dwell on the weirdness of the situation at home, in her bed when she had cried her eyes out.

"Healing powers?" Madame Bustier wondered and flicked on her tablet. "Your form says nothing of healing."

Healing? No, definitely not. She had several scars from burns on her papa's oven and cuts from various objects to prove that. But she held her mouth shut, not really in the mood to argue.

"That means, Madame," Alya insisted, a wicked glim in her eyes, "Marinette _did_ use her powers. To heal a fatal wound, if the rip in suit and jacket is anything to go by."

Madame Bustier glanced at Alya and along the rest of the class, some nodding more eagerly than others, but Marinette began to squash the little flicker of hope she might be able to stay.

"Why didn't you write anything of healing powers?" Madame Bustier asked again and Marinette shuffled on the spot, fiddling with her bag and jacket.

"I... I didn't know?" she whispered, completely overwhelmed.

Madame Bustier hummed, frowning. Then, she thumbed something on her tablet and smiled. "Then I'm curious what else we'll discover of your gift. Adding the recent discovery, I have no other choice than to re-evaluate your test." Marinette gasped, as well as several others. That had really worked?!

"Final test: C. Sums up to a tight B. Congratulations, Marinette. You may retake your seat."

Okay, maybe she had misheard her teacher, but did she _really_ pass?! Going by Alya's squeal and some laughing, she trudged back to the table in the second row, being squashed by Alya.

"Healing?!" she squealed, "What other powers are you hiding from me?!"

The rest of the day was a blur. She somehow noticed Nino passing as well, receiving a B. Some people passed, some were thrown out. At the end they were fifteen students left, only few really having to fear the next year.

Madame Bustier handed them their own tablets to work with during lessons and their timetables as well. Intent on studying both as soon as she managed to drift back to reality, she shoved them into her backpack.

Then, Alya managed to shove her to the changing rooms so they could get into their everyday clothes. Her best friend had to leave quickly because her mother called, wanting her to be home, so she left Marinette on her own. Marinette had regained some of her senses by now, so Alya apologized with a hug and a promise to call her later as she raced off.

Marinette bid goodbye to some others from her class, many congratulating her on the close call, but all in all, she was soon the last to be left behind. She may have been moving a bit slowly, but that was due to her nerves as she finally registered what had happened.

Sitting on a bench by the changing area, she inspected her arm. Nothing, but smooth skin. Once she peeled the bits of dry blood away, she indeed noticed that there was not a single scratch.

It had hurt intensely, back out in the forest. Recalling the event, she frowned.

She had been still on Adrien's shoulder, when suddenly an Akuma sprang on them. She had managed to cry a warning and tried to tug at Adrien's jacket. But the Akuma was too fast, too close.

A flaring pain in her arm, it had gripped a good chunk and was throwing Adrien off. They tumbled to the ground and the beast let go of her, ripping pieces out in the process. She still felt how the claws ripped and tugged at her. The pain, the _feeling_ was still there.

But her arm was smooth. Untouched.

Groaning, she rubbed her hand over her biceps, closing her eyes.

Maybe her power decided to be finally useful? Healing was incredibly rare and strongly needed. She halfway contemplated to test the extent of her power by hurting herself, but she shivered at even the thought of trying that out.

Okay, maybe she should just be happy that she was able to continue at AHS. Forget that weird day, forget that she had more than one close call that afternoon.

Standing up from her perch, she quickly collected her stuff, throwing her stained jacket over her arm and was about to leave, when she heard thunder rumble in the distance.

With a deep sigh, she stepped out of the courtyard, stopping under the canopy. Maybe she could wait some time until the rain had lessened.

"Hey," someone suddenly said and she looked to her right, Adrien standing next to her, a black umbrella in his hand.

Huffing, she rubbed her arm. It still tingled a bit. "Thanks, I guess. For earlier."

"No problem," he smiled, but Marinette did not look up, still set on her opinion of him as a dick. Sighing, he stepped forward, out in the rain, but stopped when he was in front of her. "Listen. I... I never wanted to mock you. I know you have some history with Chloé, but... I only tried to help. I swear.

"It's just... I never went to school before and never had friends before. Everything's kinda new to me."

His eyes told Marinette the truth. There was no hidden meaning, no hidden malice or lie. Then, he held out his umbrella to her to take it. He smiled and more thunder rumbled in the distance.

Hesitantly, Marinette reached out and took the umbrella, flinching when their hands touched and tingles went up her arm and down her spine.

In fear of that new feeling, she pulled the umbrella slowly closer to her body, still staring at him getting all drenched in the rain that now cascaded down his back.

Adrien's waiting car on the street honked and Marinette flinched, accidentally hitting a hidden button, making the whole thing collapse over her head.

With a flushed face, she peeked out again and he began to laugh. The tone was soft and rang in her ears. It was beautiful.

"See you tomorrow, Marinette," he chuckled and waved, heading over to the car that was waiting for him.

"Sa- eh, see ya. To- morrow! Tomorrow!" she stuttered, frowning. What was that?

:

Adrien quickly hopped into the waiting car, glancing out of the window and watching Marinette vanish when his driver drove on. With a smile, he leaned back in his seat.

"Who was that?"

Nathalie sat across from him, tablet in her hand, but looking straight in his eyes, frowning slightly. "Marinette. She's a friend, I think," he answered honestly and looked back through the rear window, seeing a black blob descending the stairs to his school.

Nathalie seemed to dismiss the topic, asking instead how the test had went.

:

"Sir? I'm concerned for one of my students."

Caline Bustier stood in the office of her Director, having just handed her data to him, so he could file it away.

"Who is it? Monsieur Agreste's son? I hope not."

"No, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she answered

"Ah," Damocles nodded, "that girl without any power. I read her form and heard some people talking. She fell through, right?"

"Eh, no," she fidgeted. Monsieur Damocles watched her very confused. "She... she had hurt her arm during her time outside and was completely healed by the time she came back. She didn't know about her healing, so I felt it was wise to let her pass. To have her here should her powers evolve. That's why I'm concerned."

"Healing?" Monsieur Damocles repeated, rubbing his chin. "Was it a grave wound?"

"According to some students, yes. We didn't see much of the fight, because Adrien and her had left the assigned area."

Damocles hummed. "Adrien Agreste?"

"Yes, sir."

"A strong one, that Agreste kid," he hummed. "He killed a level 9?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keep an eye on both of them, Caline. Let's see how they develop. If you need help, call."

"I will."

* * *

**Okay, now you have a feel of the characters and the universe, and I'm SO exited to show you Paris some more in the next chapters! What's up with Marinette's powers? What's with Ladybug and Chat Noir? **

**Hope you have a nice week!**


	5. First Schoolday

**Okay, first of all: I am SO happy you guys like the story! Your reviews always make my day and I can't wait to update, just to see your reaction. Even though I don't always answer your reviews (simply because I'm not good with small talk), I hope you know that every fav, follow or review is meaning SO MUCH to me.**

**second: and again a shoutout to RoseySparrow for editing and putting up with my awful grammar and spelling :P**

**Have fun with this week's chapter~**

* * *

Chapter 4: First Schoolday

"Good morning."

Surprised, Marinette flailed around, hitting Alya, who she had been talking to, while trying to turn somewhat gracefully. Upon seeing Adrien, she stumbled backwards, knocked over Mylène, who stumbled into another passing girl. The three lost their balance and tumbled to the ground.

"Ow."

"Can't you pay attention?!"

"I'm so sorry," Marinette apologized, scrambling to her feet to help Mylène, the other girl huffing something about first semester, and strutted away.

"Are you okay?" she asked Mylène and the girl nodded. "Don't worry, see you in class!"

They waved and Marinette finally turned around, grinning bashfully.

Alya rubbed her aching nose and Adrien stood next to her, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to startle you."

"I, eh, it's okay, that, that everyday happens, I mean, happens everyday," she blurted. "Don't worry about me."

"Eh... okay?" Adrien tilted his head and was moving to say something else, but he got suddenly tackled from the side by a yellow coloured something.

Chloé squealed and latched onto Adrien's neck, rubbing herself all over him. Marinette noticed Adrien's obvious discomfort, which she had apparently completely overlooked the day before.

"Adrikins! Yesterday was _so_ awful! First they put us _outside_ and daddy said it was okay, and then I had to be saved by _Marinette_ of all people, only to be dumped by that useless boy with that ugly cap!" she sobbed. "I'm so glad they failed the Sorting, it would be _awful_ if they ruined that perfectly fine school," she bragged and Marinette sighed.

"Eh, Chloé?" Alya interrupted her rant and gestured to Marinette, still standing in front of them with her arms crossed.

Chloé looked at her and her face pulled into a disgusted frown. "Are you here to beg for another try? That's a new low, even for you."

"Chloé?" Adrien began and peeled her arms from his neck. "She actually passed. And that was quite rude of you."

Instead of listening to him, she laughed. "Oh, Adrikins, you're too innocent, really. There's no way she passed. You should have seen her in collège, she was always running around with that scum from the Safe Zone, jumping over roofs like some wild animal. And her power is sparkles. What can sparkles do?"

"Actually, Marinette can heal herself," Adrien smiled at Chloé and turned to face Marinette with his dashing white teeth and dreamy green eyes. "It's pretty cool."

Marinette blushed and looked away when Chloé began to laugh. "I can name at least ten times where she fell and hurt herself last year"

"Because you tripped her?" Alya dead-panned, but Chloé ignored her.

"But I know someone else who earned his place here," she purred and snuggled to Adrien's arm, making him even more uncomfortable. "Not everyone can kill an Akuma in stage 9."

"Stage 9?" Alya asked, raising her eyebrows. "Is that even possible?"

Chloé laughed. "Of course, silly. Didn't you know of Adrien's power? He can destroy everything he touches."

"Really?" Alya asked him, looking intrigued. "Everything?"

Adrien only nodded, flushed an adorable red. He definitely didn't want to talk about it though. "Come on, Alya," Marinette murmured, "We need to go to class."

"Oh, wait," Adrien quickly interrupted, looking over at Marinette. "Can I talk to you for a sec? Or do you want to grab lunch later?"

"I'm sorry," Chloé purred and walked her fingers up his biceps, making him cringe. "I'm busy at lunch, meeting up with Sabrina. But tomorrow?"

"Uh... sure? But I was talking to-" Adrien began and gestured to Marinette, who had instantly flushed red.

Chloé only giggled and pecked his cheek, strutting away. "See you in class, Adrikins!"

"My name is Adrien," he murmured and wiped at his cheek, but quickly turned back to Marinette. "So... lunch or right now?"

"Lu- lu- what? Lunch? I like lunch. Lunch is healthy. You should eat lunch. With me! No, not if you don't want to, I mean we could talk real quick and class go to. Eh, go to class."

"She would like to have lunch," Alya translated when the bell rang and Marinette was still rambling. "But be careful, sometimes, she gets to be a handful," she snickered and steered a stiff Marinette to the classroom. "Girl," she snickered, "What was that? Do you have a crush?! I thought we don't like him!"

"Alya," Marinette whined. "I don't have a c- crush, what makes you say that?"

Alya stopped and whirled her around to look into her eyes. To prove her point, she bit onto her tongue and made weird noises and gestured wildly. "I swear, it's Luka all over again. What changed from yesterday?"

Blushing furiously, Marinette shrugged. "He was nice and lent me his umbrella."

Expecting something more, Alya stared. "That's it?"

"That's it," Marinette nodded and closed her eyes, turning back to walk to their class. "But it's so much more. Did you know he smells like mint?"

Alya laughed and looped her arm around Marinette's. "Mint?"

"Yeah," she sighed dreamily. "Do you think I can get his schedule somehow?"

When they arrived in class, Alya was still laughing, so Marinette pulled out her own timetable. She barely had time to glance at it yesterday evening, her parents had been overjoyed with her acceptance and ordered take out to celebrate. Marinette had found the I'm-sorry-it-didn't-work-cake and her parents, with a panicked laugh, had proclaimed it was a celebratory dessert. They meant well, but kept her up too long, so she had barely time to even glance at her schedule and new books.

So when she slipped into her seat, Alya trotting behind her, she pulled the untouched piece of paper out of her bag. There were subjects like any other school had. Math, French, Art, History, and other things. But the main parts were occupied by Physical Education, Mental Education and Strategy. There even was a subject called Healthcare. She wondered how the AHS would be different from any normal school aside some subjects with funny names.

Her father had told her there would be a more prominent focus on developing and evolving your gift, your health and mind. He had told some stories, but it was questionable whether they were still up-to-date.

The first half of the day was spent with Math and History. Where Math was the same and still as boring as it had been in collège, History was quite interesting. They had pulled through the world war and the beginning of the Akuma War in collège as well, but this time, it was more focussed on details, they told them more accidents throughout the first years. It's going to be a long year, learning everything that happened in the last century.

Lunch arrived sooner than Marinette appreciated and she somehow found herself alone in the classroom, Adrien waiting for her by the door. Alya had bolted out the second the bell rang, wishing her good luck with a cackle.

Now Marinette was on her own.

"You're coming?" Adrien asked, unleashing his glorious smile on her.

Fiddling with her bag, she stepped through the doorway. "You... I mean, where do you want to eat? Lunch, that is," Marinette asked, scolding her flipping tongue.

Adrien simply shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not often in Moyenne, can you recommend something?"

"Eh, yeah, there's a nice re- restaurant, down the street, Alya and I often eat there," she nodded, mentally recounting the prizes and the money she had packed this morning. "It's really nice and... yeah."

"Nice," Adrien laughed and gestured forward. "Lead the way."

The walk was silent and awkward. Too long for Marinette's nerves. She needed to say something. "You... you wanted to talk about something?"

"Oh," Adrien nodded, "Yeah, Nino gave me something and I guessed you wanted to have it back."

With a frown, she turned to him and he rummaged in his messenger bag, pulling out something long, covered with a cloth. Marinette took the object and instantly recognized it's weight and form. "My dagger!"

"Ya, you left it behind and Nino collected it. He thought I better gave it back to you."

"Why did he think that?" she asked, pulling her knife out of the heavy cloth, to look for any scratches or dents.

She simply heard a sigh from Adrien and guessed he was rubbing at his neck again. He did that when he was nervous, it seemed. "Well, we were still fighting, or are still fighting? From yesterday and I guess he wanted- _I _wanted to apologize by giving it back?"

Marinette giggled and pulled the dagger back into its sheath at her thigh. "Silly, you already apologized. There's no need to buy my good will," she smiled and flushed, giving him back the cloth without looking at him.

He laughed breathlessly. "That's great, are we... friends, then?"

It was cute how he sounded all insecure and hopeful. "Yeah, I guess, I mean, I still have to thank you for saving me yesterday!"

He chuckled and leaned closer. "I'm pretty sure you already did that."

"I did?"

He nodded and laughed. "Oh, by the way, how did you get that dagger? I took a better look yesterday and it seems pretty ancient."

"My grandmother brought it in Rome. She has a flying motorbike and is always travelling. It was a present on my fifteenth birthday," Marinette explained.

"That's a pretty cool present."

"It was better than the year before that, where she was somehow convinced I was still ten or so and brought a shirt _way_ too small. Not to disappoint her, I made a bag out of it," Marinette explained.

"That's cool, you can sew?" he asked, looking intrigued.

Marinette shrugged awkwardly. "I'm not as good as your father, neither do I have the resources, but I alter clothes and I made my fighting jacket," she blushed. "I do draw a lot though."

"The jacket you wore yesterday?"

Marinette nodded. They fell into an easy conversation, Adrien telling her how he modelled for the few ads from his father and was mostly training to take over the business one day. It seemed to be boring work, but he seemed to be very glad to attend AHS now.

In return, Marinette told him about her parents' bakery. Working at the register and baking bread, cakes and sweets. She even promised to bring croissants the next morning so he could try some.

Lunch was over sooner than she had anticipated. Adrien insisted on paying, because he had invited her. There was a small fight over the bill, the waiter waiting very uncomfortably for them to sort their limbs.

In the end, Adrien managed to slip a bill on the counter, keeping Marinette from her purse and kept her from paying.

Sour, she walked ahead to the school and he followed, laughing with glee.

:

Alya often considered herself sneaky. She was a silent predator, once her eyes set on a prey they would never stray until the hunt was over. Today's prey was Marinette and her newfound crush on Adrien Agreste. She didn't trust him, he was friends with Chloé after all. But Marinette had seemed to forgive him for a simple act of kindness. Alya needed to protect her best friend, even if said best friend didn't know how dangerous her new toy was.

With only the best intentions, she followed them.

Earlier, Alya had played the good friend. Smiling and snickering as if supporting Marinette. That's what she was supposed to do. Being happy for them when they fell in love.

But it didn't mean she had to trust these fancy pants. She needed to keep Marinette safe in case he was playing foul.

They hadn't done much for now, simply walking, awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze. Good. Stay awkward and the crush is going to die like it did with Luka.

Luka had been a funny topic in collège. An older student Marinette 'fell in love with', after he showed her a song. Okay, Luka was cute, but far too calm and indifferent for Marinette. Obviously, he could hear the songs in people's heart. That might have been the reason Marinette fell in love with him.

But then, he left school, fell through the Sorting and was currently attending a regular lycée. Good for Marinette, because as soon as he was gone, Alya had expected a heartbreak. There were tears, but it was nothing major.

With Adrien, the danger of real damage was far greater. They would be in front of each other for the next two years and a crush could cause many problems.

"Are you spying on them?"

Alya screeched at the sudden voice and quickly hid behind a bush, clapping her hands over her mouth. "Nino!" she scolded the boy in front of her, who was looking far too amused for his own good. "What are you doing here?!"

"You didn't answer my question."

Growling, she pulled him into the bush, a careful eye on the teenagers in front of them. Adrien had handed her a long package, but no one seemed to have noticed her. "You didn't answer mine either," she hissed.

"I was going to fetch some lunch," he shrugged, "Why are you spying on them?"

"I'm not spying," she argued, but he only raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I may... have followed them to protect Marinette," she grumbled, "and now hush, leave me alone, you're the enemy."

"Enemy?" he laughed, "And why did you pull me in here then?"

Huffing, Alya left the bush, noticing Marinette and Adrien were walking again. "You're friends with Adrien, right? So, enemy. Now get lost, I'm on a mission."

"Considering you're on something resembling a hunt, I have to protect my innocent friend, right?"

"He's hardly innocent," she argued and pressed her body closer to a wall, watching them enter _their_ restaurant. Well played, Agreste.

Nino only laughed. "Oh, believe me, he is too innocent for his own good, he didn't even realize his crush on Mari-"

Alya whipped around and pointed her index right under his nose. "Finish that sentence and you have another hole in your nose. Adrien is not good for her."

Nino raised his palms in surrender. "He's good, believe me. Or... are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" she laughed, "Hardly. I just have to protect Mari from evil."

"You sound pretty jealous to me," Nino nodded. "But they look cute together," he said and gestured to the restaurant. When Alya looked through the window, she saw how Adrien pulled her chair out for her and she was laughing.

"I'm not jealous," she repeated, ignoring the pang in her chest.

"Then why are you staring at Adrien like he murdered your cat?" Nino asked and tugged at her sleeve. "Come on, let's get something to eat and let those two enjoy their meal. It's not like you can do anything."

"I can storm inside and tug Marinette home," she grumbled, still watching the two intently. Nino was irritating.

"Would you do that?" No, but he didn't need to know that. "Come one," he repeated and tugged harder. Alya complied with a twinge of her heart. Maybe she should let Marinette make her own decisions. She really seemed to like him if the blush on her cheeks was anything to go by.

Sighing, she gave in and followed Nino with a longing glance.

:

Adrien was happy.

The lunch had been great, he'd really bonded with Marinette and was looking forward to talking to her some more. She really was a great friend.

"How was your date?" Nino asked, approaching him in the boy's changing room. They had PhysEd next and Adrien was changing into a black suit, provided by their school, similar to the one they had to wear for the Sorting. Black spandex with grey highlights and the school's crest on his right chest. He was tying his boots when Nino fell onto the bench next to him.

"It wasn't a date," Adrien chuckled.

Nino only snorted. "Who paid?"

"I did," he exclaimed proudly. Marinette had put up a strong fight, but he had managed to 'persuade' her to let him pay. "I invited her, so I paid. But it's no big deal, really. Trust me on this, if I went on a date, I would know it. I'm not attracted in her in that way."

"Yeah, because you already went on so many dates," Nino snickered, ignoring the last comment, "Just yesterday you complained about Chloé wanting to force you into one and I remember you saying you wanted to have your first one with someone you actually liked."

Adrien simply flushed and sat back up. "I've known you for what, one day? Are you even allowed to tease me?"

"Bro," Nino laughed and clapped Adrien's shoulder. "First, teasing is always allowed. Second, you make it too easy."

"Okay, and where were you during lunch?" Adrien argued, still flushed.

Nino smirked knowingly. "I had some Chinese take-out with Alya."

"A daaaate?" Adrien sang, momentarily glad he was able to return the favour of teasing. He should have known it was a trap.

"No, because everyone paid their own stuff. You need to know how you do things," he laughed and finally pulled his own shoes on.

Huffing, Adrien closed his locker and went out of the room. It was no date. He liked Marinette and liked to be with her, talk to her. But he didn't like her like that, right? He would know when he like-liked someone.

Not that he could afford a romantic relationship. His father would throw a fit and Marinette was not comfortable enough with him to be attracted. Sure, she was cute, but many girls were cute. Chloé was cu- okay, scratch that. Many girl were cute. Period.

But cuteness was not attraction. He wasn't attracted to her.

And even though, when he entered the gym, his eyes first sought out Marinette. Her hair was still in pigtails and she wore the same uniform like everyone else.

His mind still on the possible attraction, he compared her body to the other girls. She was leaner, her curves were not as pronounced as Alya's, who stood next to her. Marinette was slim and muscular. Not soft as Alya or Chloé. Nothing was moving in his southern region. She was Marinette and that was fine.

But even though, his eyes followed her arms, moving rapidly as she told something to Alya, her eyes sparkling, her mouth smiling. And involuntarily, he found himself smiling as well.

"Not attracted, huh?"

Shoving a laughing Nino into the nearby wagon laden with mats was not as satisfying as he had imagined.

Their teacher arrived and Adrien was surprised to find Monsieur D'Argencourt, his fencing tutor. He knew he was teaching at AHS, but he didn't think he would see him so soon.

"Okay, students, line up," he ordered and everyone scattered into a line in front of him. Adrien made sure he was not near Marinette. He had to prove a point. "PhysEd in AHS is nothing compared to the teaching in your regular collèges. This is AHS, we're training you to be your best, to fight against Akuma in the best case. And you need to be prepared.

"Physical Education is meant that you're trained when your gift is useless, when you're on your own. We won't play basketball, or badminton or whatever you previously did. We are fighting. We are forming your body into the shape that you can be proud of. That you can show around and say: I don't need my gift to fight.

"Therefore, I will put you into pairs you can train with. I put together teams according to your grades in yesterday's obstacle course. You train with them and outdo yourselves. Got it?"

Everyone nodded and excitement bubbled in Adrien. Maybe he could find another friend. He knew Kim had done a pretty great job at the obstacle course, as well as Alix. He just hoped he wasn't paired with Chloé, she had received an A as well as Marinette.

Chloé winked at him from next to Kim and he shuddered. He definitely didn't want to be paired with Chloé.

"Okay, I'm quickly going to read everyone's names. "Agreste and Dupain-Cheng, Bourgeois and Kubdel, Bruel and LeChien, Césaire and Couffaine, Lahiffe and Kurtzberg, Haprèle and Levaillant, Raincomprix and Kanté" His damn heart sang Marinette's name, while his stomach got uncomfortable. He would have to work with Marinette the entire year and he didn't know whether he was glad or not.

"Eh, excuse me," Chloé interrupted him, when he put away the paper with their names.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but you must have made a mistake. I was clearly supposed to be with Adrien, not with... her," she snarled.

Alix huffed. "Oh believe me, I'm not happy either." But Monsieur D'Argencourt cut them off. "No, Mademoiselle Bourgeois, there is no mistake. I put them especially together, because both had the highest meter per minute in this course. You and Mademoiselle Kubdel were only third and fourth."

Alix grumbled something about her gift, but Chloé wildly shook her head, laughing. "I was there when Marinette made her round, she nearly collapsed and just barely managed to get an A. She was way slower than I was."

"But Marinette made a full sprint at the end and ended up close under Adrien. Now stop complaining. The pairs are made. Period. Everyone, get together with your partner," Monsieur D'Argencourt put a stop to her and Chloé complained further, angrier this time, but her rant fell on deaf ears. Their teacher had already turned his back to them and was stepping on a small podium at the end of the empty hall.

Adrien searched Marinette's gaze and found her blue eyes amongst the students mingling around. She had blue eyes?

"Hey, partner," Adrien smirked and Marinette threw him a shy smile. "Seems we're working together, huh?"

"Yeah," she nodded, her face flushing. "Partner."

Adrien smiled and gestured to the others, who began to awkwardly stretch under the watchful eyes of their teacher. "Want to stretch?"

"Sure," she nodded again and bent forwards, mirroring the others around them.

Adrien quickly noticed that Marinette was far more used to working out than others were. He himself did sports on regular basis and he had no problems keeping up, but the way her body was stretching, was bending, showed him she was clearly used to similar treatments.

"Are you doing any sports?" he asked casually, when they sat across from each other, feet touching and tugging the other across the middle.

"No," she huffed, her face coming back up flushed red. Was the exercise already tiring for her? "But I happen to run a lot, jump a lot. Such things," she explained and tugged him forwards.

"I smell a secret," he grinned, coming back up.

"No," she drawled. "Just stuff and so."

"Marinette?" She didn't answer, avoiding his gaze. "I'm your partner, you can trust me."

"I've known you for barely two days," she argued. "And you're only my partner in this course, so don't over exaggerate," she rebutted, throwing him a smirk.

"And when I pull the friend-card?" he smiled and pulled at her again, letting her drop forward.

"It's even worse," she laughed, "We're friends for not even 24 hours and I want to have a little bit of respect from friends living in Gouvernement."

He stopped. "Do you think so lowly of me?" He knew he shouldn't have been too happy. She still thought he was something better than she was. He thought, with being friends they were on the same level. But clearly, she didn't think so.

Her face blanched and she shook her head. "No, no, I was just- it's different, okay? You told me you barely visit Moyenne and were fascinated with the simple lifestyle. I just... just... oh, don't worry, it's... it doesn't matter, okay? Can we...?"

She tugged at his arms, but he didn't move. He wanted an explanation, why was she thinking it was different? What did she mean? "Explain."

"I... Adrien, it's neither the time, nor the place. Just... just know that I didn't mean it that way, okay? It's different. Honestly."

He huffed. That's what his father was always telling him. The world is different. Be glad you're here. Be glad. Be joyful. Enjoy our house and comfort. He wanted to understand though.

"I'm not dumb, Marinette. I want to know what you mean," he whispered. "I know the differences between the rings. In the Gouvernement are the rich, those that lead the city to safety. Moyenne inhabits the middle. The Safe Zone is poor and there are refugees and workers and artists, those who work with their hands."

For some reason, she looked very sad. Her eyes casting downwards and she was worrying on her bottom lip. "You sound like a schoolbook," she murmured. "Do you really want to see the truth?"

"Truth? _Yes_," he stressed. What did she mean by truth?

"Okay, I'll take you with me. Saturday evening. Meet me here at the school," she whispered. "But you can tell no one, okay?"

He nodded, his stomach coiling. It sounded far worse than he could even imagine. What was she hiding? "I promise."

With a final nod, she let go of his hands and stood up, Monsieur Damocles began the lesson. It was spent running. Lot's of running. First a relay race, which he and Marinette won, then a weird catch-me-if-you-can criss-crossing through the hall that had been actually kinda fun, then a small marathon to end the lesson.

When he wanted to tell Marinette that they seemed to be a good team, she had brushed him off. Not rudely of course, but she had hurried to the changing room faster than he could blink, only responding to him vaguely and with a heavy stutter.

The rest of his day was filled with helping his father with his business, attending meetings and merely shadowing him. Sometimes it was funny, how he could pass his entire time with his father, without even exchanging two words. He was a literal shadow of him, trailing behind and saying what he wanted to hear. It was tiring and suffocating. But it was his life.

School soon evolved be a bright spot in his grey life. He found friends, the rest of the class warming up to him after only a couple of days, and even though they didn't trust him completely, he was able to hold conversations and even share one or two jokes with Kim. It wasn't much, but it was progress in his eye.

Chloé developed a habit of trailing him though. It made many things more complicated and he believed part of his class' reluctance came from the blond that clung to his arm like a leech. However, the small moments he managed to claim without her around were his favourite memories so far.

Talking to Nino about games and joking with Alya was fun. The absolute highlights occurred with Marinette though. She often stuttered, but soon turned into a ramble that was fun to listen to. And when he made a joke, her face instantly froze. Then her brows pulled down and he was laughing by the time she rolled her eyes.

Then they managed to fall into a pleasant conversation with only minimal stutter until someone joined them. Most of the time, it was Chloé again, claiming him for lunch or simply dragging him away without any good reason.

Strategy was another subject he found quite interesting. Their teacher promised them to teach them all the grand battles during history and the secret to success in any battle. He was looking forward for next week's lesson. Healthcare was fine, he thought, but Marinette was practically glowing, gushing about how her mother had already taught her a bit about healing herbs and roots. That's where her power leaked, he guessed.

Sooner than Adrien anticipated though, it was Friday and their last two lessons for their first week at AHS. MentEd was another highlight in his opinion.

It was meant to make them grow with their powers, learning and training in fighting, solely relying on your gift. Adrien was anxious, because they were supposed to be split in teams of three to four. He feared, no, he was _terrified _of being paired up with Chloé. He just hoped his luck from Tuesday hadn't completely left him and would pair him with people he actually could like.

The start of the lesson began with a meditation. They were supposed to find their inner midst and focus on their chi. But Adrien was occupied with the possibility to be paired with Chloé. Angst in his stomach was a good distraction, he grumbled. Maybe that was the secret weapon in a war their Strategy teacher had talked about.

Eventually, it turned out that he hadn't need to worry at all. The teacher, a kind guy with greyish hair had already made up his mind about the teams. They should work and fight together, therefore, the team had two active and two passive teammates. With Chloé and him being both active _and_ short range, he was relieved to find her in another team along with Sabrina, Lila and poor Nathaniel.

Adrien though, seemed to have the best luck in the world for once. His team consisted of Marinette, Alya and Nino. He and Alya were active fighters, he in short range, Alya in long range with her ability to create illusions and let them fight instead of her. Marinette and Nino were passive. Marinette, due to her lack of knowledge about her power, was in charge of supporting, Nino being a distraction.

Their teacher made it clear that there was no use fighting in the first week. They should get to know their teammates and their powers for now. They were free to wander wherever they wanted, as long as they would get accustomed to their team.

"So," Alya began and settled on a bench in the courtyard. "Who wants to begin describing their powers?"

"I can," Adrien volunteered. His was pretty clear and he doubted the others could give much input on how to get better at what he was doing. "My power is basically destruction." He loaded his hand with the crippling energy and it bubbled into existence, the strength and raw force of his power making his nerves tingle in anticipation.

He watched together with the others how his hand and lower arm turned grey first and then darkened to black, going so far to leak out of his skin and bubble and swirl along his fingers and palm.

"Everything I touch with my hand is going to disintegrate and turn to ashes," he explained, grabbing some leaves from the bush behind them. It swivelled and like fire, the black of his hand spread through the green, first the green, then the skeleton. "It works with everything as far as I know. Things, Akuma, people." That last bit made him nauseous and he shook the dust from his hand that had returned to normal. "I have to wait a few minutes to reuse it though."

"Wow," Nino exclaimed. "That's so cool! How does it work? Do you think 'destroy' and it just does that with a limited range or do you control how far it goes?"

Frowning, Adrien thought it over. "No, I have control, I think. The things have to be connected though."

"So. Theoretically speaking, if you wanted to destroy all of Paris, you just have to think it?" Marinette asked, her face seemingly innocent.

"I... actually don't know," he admitted. "That would be creepy. But I think there is some kind of extension limit?"

"You could train that," Alya shrugged. "And you said something about people as well?"

Gulping, Adrien averted his gaze. "I only killed once. It was an accident though." A pale face and dark eyes, blonde hair turning grey and his mother fell to the ground, being reduced to ashes even before her head could hit the marble tiles.

Silence settled between them and Adrien shook his head, repressing the memories. "How about you, Marinette? Any new treats?"

Marinette simply blushed. "Eh, no, not yet, I think. The red sparkles are still there," she mumbled, waving her hand and raining them in glittering lights. It was beautiful. "But I can confirm the healing thing. Yesterday, I burned my hand on papa's oven. It hurt a lot, but by the time I took my hand out of the water from the faucet, everything was fine again, no red, no burn, no scar. It freaked me and my père out, but it's a good thing, I guess," she shrugged.

"Ever hurt yourself intentionally?" Nino asked and immediately received a hit on his shoulder from Alya. "What?!" he grumbled, throwing Alya a stinky eye. "I mean, if you cut off your pinky toe, would it grow ba- OUCH!"

"We're not suggesting Marinette cut off any limbs!" Alya complained, hitting him again. "Don't do that Marinette!"

"I won't," Marinette laughed. It sounded strained and forced, but that was to be expected. "It really hurts as much as it does for everyone else."

"But don't you want-" Nino began, but Alya wrestled him to the side, effectively cutting off his argument, the two bickering and fighting for the upper hand. Adrien soon found himself laughing and Marinette fell in. The two were ridiculous.

But it gave him an idea. "Have you ever tried healing others? Healing is a rare gift, but those few who have it can usually transfer it to others as well."

Their friends stopped fighting and looked expectantly at Marinette, who frowned and shrugged. "I haven't had the chance to try out yet. I've known of the healing for only a week and no one has been severely hurt yet."

"Okay, then you need to test it as soon as the chance arises!" Alya exclaimed. "Maybe we can cut Nino's toe-" she began with a laugh, but Nino only pulled her hair which made her laugh harder.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, we don't hurt people we like. That includes me as well, okay?"

"I haven't decided yet," Alya grinned and stuck out her tongue.

That was when he felt Marinette next to him move closer to him and tugged at his sleeve. He leaned down to help her whisper in his ear. "They are cute, want to play matchmaker?"

Snickering, he eagerly nodded. If all those movies and animes prepared him for anything, it was romance. And that you should never go into the high grass. Never go to the high grass. However, it would be great payback for Nino's continued teasing about his not-date with Marinette.

"Okay, I'm next!" Alya exclaimed, shoving Nino off her, into Adrien's side. "My power is the power of illusion," she whispered mystically and waved her hand in a certain pattern. Orange dust flowed from her hand and formed a cute little fox that jumped along their table.

Adrien followed it with his eyes, marvelled at the tiny creature. It weaved between Alya's legs and the second it came close to Adrien so he could touch it, it turned around, hopped on Nino's lap who let out a small squeak and then it turned to Marinette, rubbing its nose on her cheek.

"The illusions are solid and able to fight if I want them to. They last only five minutes, but I have no limit on the amount and mass yet," Alya explained and Marinette began to stroke the fox's back.

"Do they do what you want them to do or do they have an own mind?" Adrien asked, curiously watching the fox who gave him a glance that would resemble a stinky eye, but how could a fox illusion dislike him?

Marinette just scratched the fox's head, making it close his eyes. "I don't know. They seem to have a mind on their own, but they only ever do what I want them to do," Alya murmured, watching the animal

"Maybe they react upon your subconsciousness?" Nino suggested. "They are your creations and they may react to your energy?"

"Could be," Alya hummed, averting her gaze with a light blush as the fox began to mewl and snuggle closer to Marinette. Marinette only giggled though and scratched the fox with more vigour.

"Alya's pets always liked me," Marinette sighed happily. "She was my excuse to have a pet. My parents never allowed me to have any, because of the bakery, but when Alya was with me, she would sometimes conjure a cat or a puppy and we would play until they faded."

"That's cute," Adrien grinned and moved to scratch the fox in Marinette's lap as well, but it only hissed and moved away from his hand.

To say he was disappointed would be a bit of an understatement. "I never had any pets as well. I always wanted to have a cat, but père never allowed me any, said they would be dirty and destroy the furniture."

Marinette and Nino laughed, Alya only smirking.

"However, Nino, do you want to explain your power?" Marinette suggested, snuggling the fox closer.

Said boy suddenly began to fidget. "Honestly, it's not much," he murmured and formed with his fingers a circle, blowing past them and created those bubbles. Adrien instantly began to pop them, having too much fun with his best friend's power.

"I don't know how I passed the Sorting, really," he frowned and leaned back.

"Maybe you could train and improve or evolve your power?" Alya suggested

Marinette hummed. "That might work. All powers are somehow based on the four elements, fire, earth, water and air. Maybe you could train your powers into the direction you're feeling more comfortable with?"

"The powers are based off elements?" Nino asked, frowning.

Alya laughed. "Yeah, silly, didn't you pay attention in collège?"

"The first kids with a gift were able to control the elements, any other power is supposed to be a mutation of the first few," Adrien explained, reciting his years of homeschooling. "Sometimes, it's more guess work, but some are pretty clear. Mine is based off fire, it burns everything with a stronger flame that you would be able to recreate. Marinette's based off water," he gestured to her, she smiled at him. "Healing and life in general is the natural cause of water. Alya's might be based off..." he thought.

Marinette stepped in. "Air. Mirages or illusions are some kind of spiritual thing. That's air. It could be water, but they are too connected to your mind. Now, we only have to think of yours. It could be air as well, or water."

"You mean, I could control air?"

"Or water," Marinette nodded. I suggest you try out some more. Did you ever fly before?"

Nino shook his head. "But I can't swim either, and while we agreed that we won't hurt each other," he gave Alya a pointed glance, "We won't throw me off a building or into the Seine. Sorry guys."

"Maybe you should try with the surrounding air or a candle to train. Or with normal water from the faucet," Alya suggested. "That way, you're _safe_," Alya stressed with a snicker.

Marinette cooed, because the fox dissipated into a puff of orange smoke and they laughed.

"Thanks guys, I'll try that," Nino laughed and they chattered on, laughing about Alix who was currently zooming past them.

* * *

**Have a nice rest of the week!**


	6. The Safe Zone

**One day too late, but here is the ext chapter~ Thanks again to RoseySparrow for editing 3**

**And I guess it might be easier for you, especially in later chapters, to give you some kind of summary of what happened in the previous chapters :)**

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** After Marinette barely passed the Sorting, due to her newly discovered healing powers, Marinette and Adrien form some kind of friendship. Adrien is determined to get to know Marinette and her life in the Safe Zone.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Safe Zone

It was finally Saturday and after his insistence that he was still interested in knowing what she had meant on Monday, Marinette complied and agreed to meet and show him.

He was excited and was giddy the whole day. His father had to reprimand him at least three times, but it didn't do anything to lessen his mood. He would finally be rebelling, sneaking out of his house to meet a girl. Even though it was not _like that_, the mere thrill of the implication with the darkness of the forbidden created an exciting mix in his belly that made him snicker at the mere thought of breaking out.

He was bad at keeping secrets it seemed.

When evening eventually arrived and he was left to his own devices, he quickly sneaked out of his window. It was with a bit of difficulty, but he managed to climb down a rope made of his bedsheets (it was far cooler in movies, he nearly broke his neck twice) and sneak through a secret door in the wall lining the mansion.

Marinette had told him to met her at the school just after sunset and he made sure to leave early enough.

His black jacket pulled tight around his form, he stayed to the shadows of the gigantic mansions of Gouvernement. The pristine gardens, the white walls, the open area, parks and fountains were a comforting sight, but barely helped to contain his nerves. He grew up here and had been wandering these streets as a child. They were filled with memories of Sunday walks and tours with horse carriages.

As a child, he had often wondered what lay behind the wall separating his home from the outside, from Moyenne and the Safe Zone. He was ecstatic when he left Gouvernement for the first time. He had been twelve and his father took him to a meeting with the owner of the factory that produced their fabrics. It had been in the Safe Zone, but Adrien barely got a glance at the people living there. They visited an entire district, full with factories and warehouses.

Adrien had barely seen anything that day. The next time he left Gouvernement was to attend AHS. Marinette seemed to have more experience in that matter. Chloé always told him how Marinette was playing in the Safe Zone with kids far below their standard. Surely, she knew more about the Rings than he could ever imagine. But was there really that great of a difference?

They did not live in a rich city, Adrien knew that. But at least it was safe. Not many had to starve and they got plenty of water, the Seine being cleaned and recycled for them to use as a constant water reservoir.

They had doctors, even in the Safe Zone, schools and many jobs. Anyone who needed a home got one. The police were sufficiently taking care of the few criminals. There couldn't be that many problems, right?

With a heavy sigh, he ducked behind a bush and glanced back to his home for a last time that evening. Everything was silent and peaceful.

Marinette had shown him the gutters in parks and alleys, small holes with bars, so should it rain, the water could flow out freely. If he didn't want to get through the main gate (what would be a dead giveaway), those gutters were his best chance.

Yesterday, he had checked out a few parks and had found a gutter with one bar already broken and one loose, easy to rip out of the wall. It was hidden behind a bush and that was the reason no guard had noticed the broken state. That would be his best chance.

Gulping, Adrien kicked against the loose bar and it came free, the resounding ping muffled by the bush and the muddy ground beneath.

He crouched low into the dirt and shimmied through the hole. It was a tight fit, but he managed to pass the bars. Worming his way through the tight tube in the wall was another task, but once he figured out how to move in the cramped space, it was easy to reach the other side.

The tunnel opened and Adrien stuck his head out of the other end, finally able to breath properly. Maybe he could find a better way next time.

With a groan, he noticed he was stuck several metres above the ground. A rooftop directly beneath would be his landing point. He just hoped he didn't disturb any peacefully oblivious citizens. Discovering him would raise more questions than he was comfortable answering.

Shimmying his way out of the hole, he just managed to catch himself and drop to the roof. Glancing down at his jacket and black pants and boots, he realized that he had stayed surprisingly clean. He would have bet that he would be littered with green algae and mud.

Shrugging, he quickly hopped down the roof onto a garage and landed gracefully on the street below. Now, he needed to find the school and Marinette.

Adrien may have turned wrong once or twice, because the sun was already set when Adrien finally reached the school, Marinette waiting with crossed arms in a dark shadow.

"Sorry," he wheezed, having run in fear to miss her. "I swear, these streets are moving to prevent anyone getting through."

Marinette giggled and patted his head. "Poor rich boy. Already missing the structured streets of your home?"

Laughing, Adrien shook his head. He was glad to be outside on his own. Now, with Marinette, the dread and uncertainness slipped away, making room for giddy excitement. He was out. On his own. With Marinette. It was like spitting in his father's face, without him knowing it. He never felt so free.

"So, what do you want to show me?"

The smile dropped from her face and she watched him through hooded eyes. "I'll show you the Safe Zone. How I got to know it. Are you certain you want to see?"

The Safe Zone? What would be so worrisome of taking a walk through the Safe Zone. "Yeah, lead the way, Mari."

"Oh yeah, I'm not Marinette tonight," she giggled and turned to the street, but staying in the shadows. "I'm Ladybug."

"Ladybug?" he echoed, "Why Ladybug?"

"It can be dangerous," she shrugged. "Just don't call me Mari anymore okay?"

Dangerous? Okay? He decided to follow her, whatever she was planning on showing him. If she had a secret identity, was she involved in something criminal? Fight clubs? They were a thing in the Safe Zone, right?

"Do I have to worry about getting into something illegal?" he joked, but when she turned halfway to him and worried her bottom lip, a good dose of angst mingled with his curiosity. "Ma- eh, Ladybug?"

"Eh," she drawled, "it depends, really. But I better show you, so you can make your own opinion. And now hush. If we get spotted by the police, we can get into serious trouble."

Okay, now he definitely feared their little adventure. Adrien was a good boy! He never did anything wrong, always listened to his father. He told him the streets were dangerous and some people might be a bad influence, but Marinette wasn't bad, right? Marinette couldn't be a bad influence, she was sweet and nice. She surely had a reason for acting all that mysterious and... sketchy.

Except she didn't seem to act. Her body was stiff, listening to the sounds around them. She fluidly kept to the shadows, her red leather jacket, the one she wore to the Sorting, blending perfectly with the red brickwork of the houses she hid behind.

His heart leaped in his throat when they had to hide more than once for passing people and once even two police officers. Was Marinette in trouble? He hoped not.

When Marinette tugged him further, he realized they were closing in on the high wall, separating the Safe Zone and Moyenne. But instead of turning to the wall, she headed left and opened a sewer cover in a dark alley.

She then stopped and looked up at him. "Maybe... we should hide your hair," she murmured and boldly took the hood of his jacket, drawing it far over his head. "There. Your hair would be a giveaway."

"Why?" he asked and ruffled his fringe under the hood.

Marinette only laughed. "No one has hair that blond in the Safe Zone. Now come on, but be careful, don't step into the water, it's awful to get out of your boots." She then stepped back and gripped the ledge of the sewer, swinging inside.

Gulping, he stepped closer, looking down into the dark abyss.

"Come on, scaredy cat," she laughed and startled him... not so much. With a huff, he crouched down and gripped the ledge as well, lowering his body into the darkness.

An awful smell hit his nose and he suppressed the urge to gag. Water flooded in a small river beneath his feet, clumps and … things were bobbing up and down the stream and he shivered, realizing it was Paris's canalization.

Marinette stood at the side, a small, cleared pathway for workers and such providing them of the need to wade through excrements. With the help of one or two swings from the opening, he managed to gain enough momentum to land beside her.

"Do you do this often?" he shivered, feeling the smells on his tongue. How were you able to taste smells?!

Marinette only shrugged, the dim light creating an even deeper shadow over her face. But her white teeth sparkled and he realized she was grinning. "Having doubts, rich boy?"

"Doubts? No, but I'm seriously questioning your sanity," he replied and she broke out in laughter.

The rushing 'water' was muffling their voices, so they were free to talk and Adrien managed to pry some information out of her. She had been doing this since she was a small girl, it seemed. Her parents, who owned a bakery in Moyenne, were always visiting the Safe Zone, tugging her along. Her mother, having grown up down there, had friends she visited regularly, so Marinette's dearest memories were in the Safe Zone.

There, she told him stories of how free she felt, able to do everything she wanted. It sounded wonderful to his ears. Adrien had always been cooped up at home, unable to play outside in fear of staining his clothes or ruining the image.

Ignoring her sad gaze, he told her to tell more of her childhood. It made him a tiny bit jealous, but even prouder that she was willing to share her adventures with him.

Not long and she tugged him around a corner and into a very slim hallway. Pressed with their backs against the moist wall, they squeezed through a hole in the wall. Stepping into a cool opening that made him shiver despite his jacket.

"These are the catacombs," Marinette explained and Adrien gasped, trying to take in his surroundings.

"I heard of them," he whispered into the eerie silence, the rushing from the stream left behind. "My tutors told me of them. Because of mining in the thirteenth century, companies began to excavate the ground. Tunnels are stretching below us, their extent unknown. In the eighteenth century, the graveyards were crammed with dead bodies due to illnesses and overpopulation. It went so far that the graveyards were piling high above the streets, filled to the brim with dead bodies. The people used the catacombs to get rid of the bones, creating grotesque sculptures. I have only seen pictures of them," he told her in a hushed whisper. It was a shame he wasn't able to see anything.

"I don't know 'bout the sculptures," Marinette quipped, "but here's a skull."

Then she dropped something heavy into his hands and the round shape, the size of an actual head made him squeak... manly... and drop the object, backing away to the wall were he heard rustling and cracking when he collided with what he had assumed to be rock. Shrieking once more, he hurried back to Marinette, tripping over something and clinging to her shoulders.

Marinette howled in laughter, doubling over in clear amusement, much to his embarrassment.

She just managed to calm down, when he did the only thing that usually saved him from awkward situations. "Yeah, laugh about my _mort_ification."

Instantly stopping her laughter, he was not quite certain with what kind of face she was watching him. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious," he answered and she simply huffed, but he was able to hear her smile.

"I thought I liked you, but I'm not so certain anymore," she simply shrugged and pulled a flashlight out of her pocket, blinding him momentarily.

"If that's the case, I think we need to have a _grave_ conversation at some point," he easily quipped, blinking around them for the first time. There were fewer bones than he had imagined, some simply lying around the floor and many of them were not even human. Wild animals and rats must have dragged them in here some time, to devour their meal in peace. "So... why are we here?"

"Like you said, those tunnels are all around town. Most of them aren't mapped. Many were sealed shut to prevent a fluid movement between the rings, but it doesn't prevent smugglers from finding new ways and creating a lively back and forth, unaffected by the walls. It's our way to walk freely between the rings," Marinette explained and led the way further down the tunnel.

The beam from the flashlight was bobbing up and down the walls as Marinette expertly lead him through the crossroads, turning left, right and sometimes, Adrien missed crossings all together. Together with the feeling they were running in circles, he was unashamed to admit that he was lost.

"Marinette? You know where we are heading, right?" Adrien asked and Marinette simply laughed.

"First: I'm Ladybug. If you call be my my name in the Safe Zone, I'm going to punch you were the sun never shines." Adrien gulped. "And second: Yes, we're nearly there anyway. And now hush, we don't want to be seen."

The excitement flooded back full force. Having given up on trying to memorize their way, Adrien was now busy watching the light flicker from the walls and her hair. Adrien had even somehow forgotten they were headed somewhere, but as time passed, the excitement returned, coiling in his stomach, the thrill of doing something forbidden making his arms and fingers tingle.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to her while she led the way to a wooden ladder leaning against a wall to their right. It was kind of out of place, but his suspicion of a secret entrance was amplified when Marinette gestured for him to stay back first, climbing through a hole in the rock above them and knocking on something that sounded like wood.

Another knocking pattern responded and Marinette answered once more.

Then suddenly, the trapdoor opened, shining down on them and a squeal echoed through the tunnel. "Oh, Mari!" a girl squealed and was tugging Marinette up into the light.

Yeah, right. That girl was allowed to call her by her name and Adrien had to suffer serious future damage if he even tried to. What was the point in this?

Sighing, Adrien climbed the rest of the ladder and poked his head inside. The small chatter in the dimly lit room instantly died and he felt a thousand pairs of eyes on his head. With a gulp, he searched for Mari.

"Guys, that's Adrien. He's okay, I trust him," Marinette explained and waved at him, gesturing to get in properly.

Adrien heaved himself inside and glanced around. A boy with brown hair closed the trapdoor they came through and shoved some piled pillows above before slumping down on them. Adrien glanced around again and noticed, what he had thought were so many, only ten, maybe twelve teenagers. But the small room was definitely crowded and way too full.

"Come on, I'll show you around first," Marinette smiled up at him and tugged at his elbow. He followed.

The room they were in was cramped. Wooden planks covered the walls instead of wallpaper, the room had barely the size of his wardrobe. It was tiny, the space entirely occupied with the small table with bowls and papers, four stools around it, mismatched, of course, and he was scared of sitting on them, because they looked like they may crash the second any behind put the slightest weight on them.

One corner held a small kitchen. Or what he thought was one, because there was only a small stove and two cabinets and a grimey faucet.

The rest of the room was pillowed with blankets and teenagers lounged everywhere. On the wooden walls were posters of bands he didn't know and few shelves, all hanging low and barely holding onto the walls.

He felt cramped. Normally, Adrien had no problem with tight spaces, but he was not used to so many people in so few square metres, surrounded by health hazards like maybe-maybe-not falling shelves and slimy bowls and faucets.

Adrien tried not to show his unease, but some kids eyed him warily as if he was directly insulting them.

"Where did you dig him up?" a girl laughed and handed him and Marinette bowls filled with a grey paste of some sort. "He looks weird."

"Thanks," he murmured, poking at the substance with the spoon that came along.

Adrien noticed the girl was the one that had greeted Marinette. She seemed friendly, but he didn't know whether he could trust her due to the thing she had pushed into his hand.

"He's not used to this," Marinette laughed and sat down on one stool, that surprisingly held her weight, stirring the papier-mache in her own bowl. "Adrien, it's edible," she said and put her own spoon in her mouth making the girl next to them laugh. "He's never been in the Safe Zone before," Marinette explained.

With a frown, he pulled the spoon out of the slime, noticing small, white crumbs inside. Suddenly quite curious, he licked some off the spoon and was surprised to find it tasted quite sweet.

"What is this?" he asked and put the whole spoon in his mouth.

"Rice-pudding," the girl explained. "It's cheap, fills your stomach and is easy to make, but seriously, how can't you not know it?"

Shrugging, he sat down next to Marinette, enjoying the sugary treat, despite its repulsive appearance. "I grew up sheltered and alone," he snickered, "you could say I was _rice_d to- HEY!"

Marinette had taken his bowl from his hands, not amused by glorious humour. "I'm not dealing with you throwing puns around all evening. Stop it and you'll get it back."

He nodded, but crossed his fingers behind his back. Who cared whether he was acting childish or not, his father wasn't here to throw him the 'I disapprove'-stare. If Marinette was a bit mad at him, he could deal with it.

When she gave him back his bowl, he hastily sprang up and positioned himself behind the girl. "Just so you know, I crossed my fingers," he grinned and shoved another spoonful in his mouth.

The girl laughed and Marinette growled, muttering something under her breath. "Okay," the girl chimed, "I've decided I like you, so you're welcome here any time. I'm Marianne and that's my apartment, feel free to move around and come and go. My home is everyone's home anyway. Marinette will show you around, okay?"

"Thanks," Adrien nodded with a grin, but then eyed her warily. "What would you have done if you didn't like me?"

"I wouldn't give you the antidote then," she smirked and her gaze flickered to his pudding.

The second he realized what she had said, he paled, nearly dropping the bowl, before Marinette broke out in howling laughter. Marianne laughed as well, patting his shoulder. "Gosh, sorry, there's nothing in your pudding, I was just joking," she giggled, "don't take anything too seriously here."

Laughing awkwardly, he absentmindedly put another spoonful in his mouth, the sweet flavour slightly bitter.

"So, you're attending a lycee in Moyenne with Mari?" Marianne asked and sat down next to Marinette and picked an already halfway eaten bowl from the table, resuming to her own meal. At their nods, she asked further. "What's your gift?"

"I... eh," Adrien glanced around, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. Normally, people didn't react well when he told them what he can do. "I can-"

"It makes his hand all black and bubbly, but it doesn't do much," Marinette finished for him, clearly lying. She knew his power, why did she do that?

"Cool," Marianne shrugged, "You're a slow burn like Mari, huh?" she teased and Marinette giggled awkwardly.

"Yeah, something like that."

:

When they left the apartment, descending a long, wobbly staircase, Adrien held her back. "Why did you lie?"

"Lie?"

"About my powers," he explained. "I thought they were your friends?"

Marinette fidgeted. "Yeah, I trust some of them with my life, it's just... that's the reason why I don't trust them with anything, you know? I'll try to explain after patrol, just... keep it for now, okay?"

Reluctantly, Adrien nodded and followed her down the stairs.

They creaked under his weight and were littered with paper wrappers and plastic bottles and cups. The walls were smeared with colour, some already fading and drawn over. It was a repulsive sight, but he didn't question it for now. He wanted to wait for whatever Marinette had to show him.

When they stepped out of the house that, by the outside view, was already leaning sharply over the street, barely hanging onto the rock that it was built against and ready to collapse, he instantly noticed a huge difference between here and the Moyenne and Gouvernement.

The streets here were _crowded_. Despite the late hour, people were outside, laughing, drinking. Adrien would have found it merry, were it not for the deep sadness he found in their faces in between jugs of a cheap beer and something that looked like water but was more likely containing more alcohol.

And even though Adrien was never one to judge a person by their appearance, he was shocked. The rags some people wore were patched in several places, too big for most of them. Some men didn't even wear shirts, their upper body covered with scars and tattoos.

Some were definitely ill, pale with bloodshot eyes and pus oozing out of several wounds on knuckles and backs. But no one seemed to pay attention to those that staggered around the masses.

Children were weaving their ways through the legs of the elders in bars and the pedestrians on the street. Joyful laughter in midst so much misery. Adrien knew the Safe Zone was poor, but it was worse than he had imagined.

And the smell that was penetrating his nose was even worse than anything his eyes could take in. It was something between bile, excrement and stinky feet. Adrien shuddered horribly.

"Ma- eh, Ladybug?" Marinette turned around, stopping in weaving her way through the people. Her questioning gaze was met with a shrug. He didn't know what he wanted to say. "It's okay, go on."

She nodded and went on, Adrien struggling to follow her. After some time, he avoided looking at the people, his hood drawn far over his face. The smells were not the worst thing by far. He stepped into things he didn't want to investigate further, he accidentally touched people he was sure he would need a bath in sanitizer after.

Adrien shuddered when they stepped into a lighter crowded area by a small fountain. He never wanted to wade through _that_ ever again.

Don't get him wrong. He knew he was part of the better circles and knew that not everyone could afford the same standard he had. He had counted on mud and sweat and all the gross things, but he grew up in a totally sterile environment and thinking about gross things and actually, touching, feeling and being part of them were two different things.

The excitement he had felt turned into a horrible nausea roaming through his stomach and raging at his throat.

"Adrien?" Marinette asked and Adrien simply cut her off with a raised finger.

If he had to go through _this_ and 'get to know' the Safe Zone, he at least wanted a cool nickname as well. "Chat Noir. Or I'm going to kick you were the sun never shines," he echoed her words from before.

"Okay, _Chat Noir_, I see that I don't have to worry when you still can make jokes."

Not quite up to laughing, Adrien tried to take a deep breath, finally free from those smells from before, but was suddenly acutely aware that it wasn't just the people that smelled like this, but the streets surrounding them as well.

"What's that smell?" he asked and stuck out his tongue, shivering. He didn't know whether he wanted her to answer or not.

"Flowing water is a rare occurrence here, Adr-" at his angry gaze, she rolled her eyes and went on towards a closed fountain. "Chat Noir. The pipes are old and often broken, no one cares to repair them. With no flowing water, no toilets."

"Is that the reason why so many people are ill here?"

Marinette hummed. "It varies from district to district though. I just showed you the poorest. People get sick and die here, Adrien. They try to get jobs to earn money, but there are way too many people here. Those few who are able to work in the factories come home after an eighteen hour shift.

They barely get to sleep after caring for their families and have to leave early for the next shift. Those who complain or can't cope with the work are easily replaced. There are enough people ready to work harder and longer, if it means earning money.

"Like I said, Eden, the district were we just came through, is the poorest. Most people there are ill and unemployed. The Government is providing cheap alcohol and watered beer to keep them in a good mood. Because what else could they do? Drinking is the better option."

"And where did you grow up?" he asked, following her into a small alley where she hopped onto a low wall. Adrien followed her, heaving himself on the roof she stood within seconds.

"No, not here," she laughed. "My family lived at the other end of the town, near the factories. That's where I was most of the time. You just... get to know the rest with time. Kids growing up here don't have much choice, barely getting older than fourteen."

"Why?"

She smiled sadly and gestured for him to move with her. She broke out into a run over the rooftops, her usual pigtails bouncing with every step, reflecting the moonlight.

Here, up above the people in the streets, the air was slightly better, Adrien enjoyed the slight breeze and the free run. The claustrophobic feeling he had gotten back in Marianne's apartment was finally dissolving some and he could breathe again.

That was until a scream tore through the air.

Both stopped and Marinette dashed into the direction of the scream, Adrien bolted after her. When they reached the source, Marinette stopped at the edge and sighed sadly. Adrien stopped next to her and instantly tumbled back, landing on his rear.

Under them, in a dark alley lay a man, nearly naked, stripped of his clothes, his throat cut through and several dark bruises along his torso. Adrien hadn't taken a good look, but he had seen the moonlight reflecting in the dark pool that was growing beneath the man's head.

"That's the reason why not many make it that far," Marinette murmured and turned away, leaving.

"Wh... wait, don't we have to, to call the police or something? A protector?" Adrien asked and struggled to keep up with her, tugging at her arm.

"It's of no use, Adrien, something like that happens every day. It's too late. Protectors aren't living here, they are mostly in Moyenne and Gouvernement and the police is the enemy. The corpse is going to be carried away eventually," she shrugged. "But that's the reason why I do patrol. To keep those things from happen. Rape, murder and all those awful things."

Gulping, he averted his gaze. He didn't know it was that bad out here. "Everyone has at least a hidden knife somewhere, it's dangerous to go out without. You just have to be lucky and hope the attacker is lesser equipped than you, or more clumsy. But come on, we need to get moving."

Marinette then leaped over another alley and hurried along the narrow roofs. Adrien followed. During the following tour, his mind went into shutdown. He just took in the thugs Marinette showed him with whispered caution, she showed him a bunch of dealers in a dark alley, she showed him a small child, not older than six being trained by an adult how to wield a knife.

Everything from the safety of the rooftops. When they passed something that looked like a street with many smaller restaurants and cafés, she told him to wait and jumped down, slipping into a small shop with Chinese letters. It was slightly irritating, because the sign read 'lotion'. He doubted the owner knew the letters well.

But at least the street down was less crowded, he didn't see a single irritated wound and the people definitely owned better clothes.

Sitting back on the roof to wait for Marinette, he stared ahead, trying to let everything sink in. He had barely gotten a grasp of everything when Marinette returned with a white bag, gesturing him to follow her.

They settled against a tower that had once been a chimney of an old factory. But the factory wasn't operating anymore and the warehouse was vacant. Music from a party was drifting up to them and Marinette shared her food with him. It was sweet buns, filled with something fruity.

Adrien was staring ahead, his head trying to wrap around the fact that the Safe Zone was far worse than he had imagined. Absentmindedly, he bit into his bun, but the sugar tasted pale and and _wrong_.

"Adrien? You okay?" He threw her a sour glance and she rolled her eyes. "_Chat Noir_, are you okay?"

Adrien simply hummed, chewing the pastry. "I guess. It's just... a lot, I guess," he answered honestly. "I mean, I get why you meant it was different. I feel dumb now."

"Not dumb," she cooed and bumped her shoulder against his. "Just a bit naïve."

Adrien chuckled and bit into his bun again. "And why did you lie about my power?"

Huffing, Marinette tried to search for words. "Powerful gifts are uncommon here. Not because many children are born without, but as soon as a child develops a gift, they are taken from their families. Marianne lost three siblings due to the Protection Law."

Adrien knew the law. It was a law that protected those with gifts, giving them special rights and such. The Sorting is part of the Protection Law.

"Those with gifts are considered a danger to the people, they could become too powerful to be handled by the government, so they take them away at a young age, pretending to give them better schooling so they could control their powers. A load of bullshit," Marinette explained, nibbling once more at her bread.

"But that's the reason why most kids that _do_ develop powers are hidden. Those few who manage to survive are leading the underground, plotting and planning to take the government down. It's not like they get anywhere, they are far too weak and far too few to be really dangerous, but they try everything they can to shift the powers here in Paris, meaning should they ever manage to get a strong gift in their ranks, they might be unstoppable.

"Your gift is pure destruction. I love Marianne, but she's their leader. What do you think they would do, if they knew that?"

Frowning, he looked at his bun and the dark mash inside. Images of death and destruction flashed before his eyes. He knew his power would be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands.

"But with everything you have seen today, and it's by far not the worst, can you understand why they want to protect their loved ones?

"Our system is by far not ideal, but it could be worse. And now imagine, there comes a boy with the power to destroy everything he touches, would you let your chance pass at kidnapping him and, when he didn't cooperate, forcing him to do at their bidding?"

Adrien suddenly felt sick. Placing his food back into the container, he looked up to the moon. The world was much different than he had thought. He could read about the poor streets as much as he wanted. It was different to see it with his own eyes. He felt numb and could barely register the hand that sought his. But when Marinette's warmth enclosed his cold fingers, he couldn't help but hold them tight.

Marinette had opened his eyes, had shown him the world as it really was.

Akuma were forgotten, his father's business was forgotten. He wished he could forget the misery under his feet.

"It gets better," Marinette murmured, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. "You get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it."

They sat in silence and Adrien was grateful that he didn't need to speak. He first had to order his jumbled mind, ordering what he had seen into his folder labelled 'Safe Zone'. He wanted to separate it from Marinette, but her presence made it hard for him.

That's how he made another folder. 'Ladybug and Chat Noir'. Those two were the ones dealing with all the bad in Paris, those two were taking care of muggers, because there was no way Marinette would do that on her own. Ladybug was the beautiful Lady in red, showing him what was hidden in front of his eyes the entire time. And he didn't dare to get back to his oblivious state. Chat Noir was staying with Ladybug. He couldn't even imagine what consequences it would have, should something happen to his Ladybug.

This way, Marinette could stay innocent, could stay the cute girl from school and Adrien was able to look his father in the eyes, knowing fully well at what price his wealth came from. This way, his life was safe and he could help.

Just when he was scraping the last bits together, Ladybug stretched and yawned. "Okay, kittycat, ready for the fun part?"


	7. The Fun Part

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** Adrien and Marinette are slowly becoming friends, developing a deeper bond with each passing day. Alya is jealous and feels threatened. Then, Marinette shows Adrien the Safe Zone, disguised as the vigilante Ladybug. Adrien dons the Name Chat Noir and gets to see the world through Ladybugs eyes.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Fun Part

"Fun part?"

"Yeah, one of the warehouses over there got a new delivery of wheat. We're going to steal it," she simply said. He blinked a few times and shrugged, too tired to really complain.

"Steal it? Just like that?"

"Yeah. People don't have much money to buy some for bread. The only thing that is cheap here is sugar, for the same reason as the booze. But children need proper food, you can't grow up with only rice pudding for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So we're stealing the wheat," she grinned.

"But... but wouldn't you harm your parents as well in stealing wheat?" Chat objected, remembering they had a bakery and pretty much needed wheat as well.

"Nah, the companies are already counting on a third to be stolen, that's part of the reason why it's so expensive," she laughed, climbing up the ladder to get them back to the rooftops.

"But isn't that counterproductive?" He remarked. "The more you steal, the more expensive it gets. If you stopped stealing, it would get cheaper."

Ladybug only laughed. "Quite the contrary," she said, "They would make more profit, because they wouldn't lower the prices, but rather sell the rest to their normal price, practically making more money, because they didn't count on the extra. And if we don't steal it, who would?"

Honestly, he was so overwhelmed by now, he didn't have the strength to question her and simply followed her lead.

They were hopping over the rooftops of several warehouses. It was easier to manoeuvre up on the gigantic spaces, but now more than ever he feared landing with one foot and crashing in the next second. Throughout the whole evening, he had barely seen any shingles, the roofs were more covered with mud and clay, straws for texture, beneath were wooden bars.

But those warehouses had simple planks, most of them halfway rotten and slimy from the onslaught of nature from the last decade. There were holes everywhere and every step he took heightened his fear that they would break.

Only those with goods inside that couldn't get wet were secured with the same clay and straw mixture, very few even had shingles.

Ladybug didn't seem to mind much though, so he just followed her, crouched low and watched his step. There was no need for a broken leg or a broken head this evening.

Eventually, Ladybug stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Okay," she whispered, her breathing just as laboured as his from the run. Gesturing to one of the taller houses a bit ahead across the street, she explained the situation. "This is the warehouse. We need to be careful. They know we're stealing from them so they positioned guards everywhere. Don't be foolish and get into fights. Knock them out, yes, but no fights. They have one that can manipulate fire and they won't hesitate to set everything aflame, if it means they might catch one of us."

He nodded to show he understood the message. Don't be seen or you end up toasted.

"Okay, we first need to spy the patrol routes and fixed guards. At least on this side, so we can slip in, got it?," she nodded and Chat followed.

He quite liked the feeling. Like a predator, he went to all fours, his stomach close to the silt of the roof, little stones and the straws pricking into his hand. Maybe he should invest in gloves? Would they crumble with his Cataclysm?

Silently, he shimmied to the edge and looked down below, mirroring Ladybug. Chat didn't see much. There were two men standing at the wall that separated the ground from the street. Ten, maybe twelve metres apart. They had guns.

His stomach churned. This was definitely different than his fencing classes. It was even more different than fighting Akuma. These were human beings, simply doing their job.

However, Chat Noir had a job as well. Scouting out the rest of the area in close proximity, he spotted three more, two were wandering along the length of the building, the third one was hidden behind the wall, but Chat was able to see his shadow on the street, sitting at a table and scribbling something.

Chat crept a bit further left, still careful to not make a sound. Two more stood at the short and of the hall, but they were busy, talking to themselves with hushed laughter. They would be easiest to distract or to get knocked out.

Sharing a glance with Ladybug, she nodded. That would be their first plan of action.

They quickly made it to the warehouse directly next to the short side of their target. There they had a better view of the opposing side and were able to make out the same measurements as on the wall across.

Not too bad.

But they were better.

Chat had never really knocked another person out. So when he and Ladybug landed silently behind the chatting guards, his heart hammered in his chest and doubts flickered to the forefront of his mind.

He was the good guy, right?

Then, pictures of the half starved kids flooded his mind, the sick people, the poor families.

Yes. He was doing this to help them.

With a precision that scared him, he and Ladybug approached both guards, careful to not alert the others and grabbed them from behind. Holding their noses and mouths shut carefully, they dragged the flailing men into the bushes by the wall. It were several painful minutes where the man struggled in his grip, trying and failing to rip Chat's hand from his face. Eventually, they stopped struggling.

Immediately letting go of the limp guard, he quickly checked for a pulse and breathing, scared he might have overdone it. Finding both, he sighed in relief and followed Ladybug, who was already scaling the brickwork of the warehouse.

Chat tried to forget about the guard and how he felt, struggling in his grip. So he followed Ladybug.

Scowling, he noticed that he _definitely_ needed to invest in some gloves, he tried to keep up with her, hooking his fingers in the grout, he internally winced over his nails, but was quick to heave his body into the small window after Ladybug had soundlessly opened the wooden hatch covering the hole.

Huffing silently, he recoiled when he saw around six metres between him and the hard ground below. Cursing his life choices, he heaved his body through the window and gripped the wooden plank Ladybug balanced atop, crouching to the middle of the hall where a gigantic stack of wheat was piled.

Seriously, how often did she do that?! She seemed to work her way naturally, gracefully. It was hard to believe Ladybug was Marinette, who managed to trip over thin air.

Gulping down his racing heart and trying to control his shaking limbs, Chat gripped the wood and inched further to the middle. What would he give to be a real cat right now. They had cool tails that helped balance their bodies in tight and high places.

Wordless, Ladybug gestured to two other guards, circling the pile of sacked kernels. The door leading outside was open so they had to stay silent.

She gestured to herself and to the one guard with the moustache, then to him and other. He nodded, but held her back. He heard footsteps approaching. His hearing was sharper, so he could easily make out two guards approaching the entrance.

They came into view, looked inside and passed. It seemed they were circling the entire building. They didn't have much time, they would surely soon notice the unconscious guards. "Now," he mouthed and Ladybug hooked her yoyo around the beam, swinging down, Chat had no other idea than to jump in the middle of the pile, slide down and hope he would be on time before the guard would scream.

He somehow managed to land gracefully, he slipped down, the guard came into view. Chat saw the horror on his face, the skin paling. Then he took a deep breath, but Chat was with him in seconds, only a yelp coming out of the struggling man when Chat pressed his mouth and nose shut.

Okay, maybe he will suffer serious nightmares after that. It was a weird feeling to _hunt_. Then seeing his prey realizing the danger and then knocking it out. It was oddly satisfying but also so, so terrifying. He needed to ask Ladybug later how she managed.

Slipping the unmoving body behind the pile, Ladybug was already waiting for him, piling bags on her shoulders. "Quick!" she hissed and he followed, grabbing three or four bags on his shoulders, when suddenly someone outside shouted a warning.

They exchanged a glance and Ladybug bolted to the entrance, Chat following. Both ran out on the street, sacks with precious kernels heavy in their arms and on their shoulders.

She lead him around streets and alleys, but instead of growing fainter, the footsteps came closer. Four or five men. Too many to take on. They shouted directions and Chat grew desperate. They couldn't outrun them, not with the added weight.

Hissing her name, he stopped short in front of a locked door leading into another warehouse. That one was smaller and had not the normal wooden doors, but a heavy, iron one. Perfect, they wouldn't suspect them hiding here.

Quickly letting one bag go, he called his power and destroyed the lock, careful to let the door intact. Quickly pushing it open with his back, he grabbed the fallen sack and slipped inside after Ladybug managed to duck behind him.

Just when Chat dropped his bags and pressed the door shut, he heard the feet round the corner and pass. He waited another minute and when everything stayed silent, he let out a heavy breath, slumping against the door with his back, breathing heavily from the run.

He hadn't expected to get so much exercise this evening, he would surely be sore tomorrow morning.

Hearing Ladybugs heavy breathing beside him, he relaxed, pawing at the darkness for her. Finding her arm directly next to his, he ungraciously slumped against her, laying his head on her shoulder, trying to control his protesting lungs.

"Now I know you're insane," he huffed, making her laugh. He loved her laugh. Maybe it was the adrenaline and the exertion making him delusional, but he not only loved her laugh, but he found their little close call just now more than exciting. He was flowing on a high, having rebelled, having done something he wasn't supposed to do and having gotten _away_ with it was more thrilling than everything he had ever imagined.

Then Chat felt Ladybugs head atop of his and he felt home. With her, he would manage everything, with her by his side, he could rebel, he could finally be himself.

So he laughed, the chuckles straining his already hurting lungs. "But it seems I'm just as insane as _mew_ are."

He may have deserved her elbow in his ribs.

:

They had travelled via rooftops for the better part of their trek back, their prize piled high on their shoulders, the shared smiles bright and proud.

Chat Noir had never felt that alive before. Triumph had never been sweeter than with his Lady by his side.

Then, Ladybug lead him down to the streets, both struggling not to let anything drop, but they eventually managed to get to the ground unharmed. She was weaving their way through the alleys and streets, avoiding the main routes in fear of getting spotted by the police.

Ladybug steered to the more crowded streets and, surprisingly, they hid them very well. Every time people saw them with the bags full with wheat, they smiled at them, let them pass. There even was one time where they needed to avoid a lone patrol, but people were forming a solid wall for them to slip behind.

It was marvellous how the people he had feared and found disgusting at the beginning of their night, were now helping them. They were one community, one hive. Protecting those that were precious. Or had precious cargo, he couldn't make out the difference yet.

But the few pats on his back he received now and then were speaking volumes of how grateful they were for the handful of bags of wheat.

And every time someone flashed him a smile or patted his back, he felt guilty. Guilty they hadn't managed to grab more. Guilty he needed to hurt to get praise.

Ladybug lead them to the backside of a small restaurant and rapped a few times with her boot against the door.

It opened and revealed a woman with bright red hair and round, blue eyes. "Ladybug, come in, we heard through the grapevine you were coming," she smiled and opened the door wider so the two could step through.

"Yeah, we had to avoid a few patrols," Marinette murmured and dropped the sacks into a corner, Chat following her silently.

"Oh," he heard the woman gush and she approached him from behind turning him around by his shoulders. He yelped when she brushed the hood from his head. "And who are you, gorgeous?" she asked and raked her fingers through his hair, turning his head uncomfortably.

He flushed, not knowing what to do and tried to say something, but the woman, finished pinching his cheek, was moving to his mouth, prodding his jaw apart and looking at his teeth.

"Wow, not a single hole," she murmured, and Ladybug, finally realizing his position snapped at her.

"Tikki!"

"Oh, right!" the woman blanched and let him go, "Sorry, I sometimes forget that people don't like that," she giggled and stepped a few steps back. Grateful for the distance, he rubbed at his cheek she had pinched.

"That's Chat Noir, he's a friend of mine from school," Ladybug explained and stepped closer, drawing the hood back over his head. "He helped me today. Without him, I would've been caught."

She smiled so sweetly at him, he had no control over his lips as he mirrored her.

"You are from Gouvernement, right?" Tikki asked, keeping a respectful distance.

He chuckled as Marinette stepped away. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well," Tikki giggled. "Aside from the fact that your teeth are in perfect condition and your hair as golden as that precious wheat," she giggled, "Marinette couldn't stop talking about you the entire week."

He flushed a bit and looked at Marinette, who only blushed a bright red. "Tha- I mean... I, that's not, I may have mentioned you once or twice-"

"An hour," Tikki smirked and Adrien flushed further. Marinette was talking about him? That meant she thought of him. Was that good or bad?

"Please, Adrien, don't listen to her," she grumbled, "she just likes to mess with me," she squeaked and hid her face with one hand, grabbing his elbow with the other. "I'll show you to Master Fu and we're out."

Leaving a laughing Tikki behind, she dragged him through a dimly lit hallway. Silence fell between the two and Adrien let himself be dragged along. His mind was too jumbled to really realize what that meant.

Eventually, to break the silence, Marinette began to explain. "Fu is my uncle. Well, kind of, I don't know how we're related, but he was always simply an uncle. He and Uncle Cheng, my actual great-uncle opened this restaurant back when I was small. They kind of adopted their three employees, Tikki, Plagg and Wayzz.

"You got to know Tikki, Plagg is most likely out in some street, he's keeping watch, and Wayzz is helping in the restaurant normally. All three are gifted. Tikki can see the future. But it's kind of random and often jumbled pictures she can barely decipher. Plagg can see the past, it's kind of cute how they have matching powers. Wayzz can see energies. Together, they can often warn us beforehand, should a patrol decide to raid the house."

"What do you do in that case?"

"Well, we're always prepared. There's a secret basement. The secret basement has a secret entrance to the catacombs. Through these, we can move the stuff to a different location should the need arise," she explained. "But in twenty years, they never even found the basement, it's quite hidden."

He had caught up to her while she talked, so he walked next to her. "And these people are your family? You did grow up here?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "The house is quite tall, the restaurant is running well, so there was plenty of space to hide and play superhero when my maman was helping in the kitchen."

They turned a corner and he was able to hear the noises of the nearby restaurant. Chatter from dozen of people, the clatter of silverware. "Can you cook?"

"Not as well as my uncle, but I manage," she smiled and gestured to a small doorway covered with a simple hanging instead of a door. Heaving the fabric aside, she showed him the restaurant behind. It was surprisingly nice. Simple furniture, but everything matched. High tables and stools next to it, maybe six or seven tables were cramped in the tight space, along with a counter where people stood and ordered.

People were constantly flowing around, a guy with a white apron and green hair weaving in and out of tables, collecting dishes. "That's Wayzz," Marinette explained. "He's kind but doesn't talk much."

The guy was suddenly stopping in his tracks, staring ahead at them, brows pinched together. He shortly waved at a customer who wanted his attention and hurried over to them. "You must be Adrien?" he asked, shifting the tray to his hip to redistribute its weight.

Adrien nodded, offered a smile, but he was watching him with worry in his eyes.

"Wayzz? Are you okay?" Marinette interrupted his staring and Wayzz blinked rapidly. Adrien was grateful, because he felt incredibly uncomfortable. His green eyes had searched something Adrien wasn't certain he could answer. He shivered.

"Yeah. You should head to Master Fu," he murmured, waving at the customers who demanded his attention. "He's not here though, come back another time. He's out with Plagg doing his thing, so I don't know when he'll be back. Be careful though," he said and then tugged the hanging back over the doorway.

They stood there dumbfounded for several seconds, until Adrien leaned down. "Are all your relatives that weird?"

Marinette began to laugh and it filled Adrien with pride. "You haven't met Plagg yet, he's the weirdest, I swear. All he eats is cheese. The smellier the better. His room _reeks_, Tikki never steps in without a gasmask."

That made him laugh as well. "Are Tikki and Plagg together?"

Marinette hummed. "More or less. The three went through a lot and they are more like siblings than anything else. But these two are special. I don't know what or how far it goes, I just know _something_ is up. I've been trying to learn the extent of their relationship for ten years now," she grumbled.

"Maybe I can ask innocently and watch their reaction?" he offered. Sometimes an outsider got more out a group than they were ready to admit to their own family.

Marinette watched him intently. "When you get their secret out, I'm going to kiss you." Then she marched forward, having effectively fried his brain.

It frightened him how his brain and mainly his abdomen welcomed the idea. What was up with him tonight?! Earlier that week he had felt nothing!

Coughing, to hide his red cheeks, he followed her back out into the restaurant. Marinette showed him the kitchen and he had a quick talk to her great uncle Cheng. But he was busy, so Marinette simply grabbed some dinner for them, telling him they had earned it.

Then they sat back out where Wayzz buzzed around them, but Adrien barely noticed him. Or other people for that matter. The food was utterly delicious and Marinette told him stories from her childhood, how she once managed to nearly burn down the entire restaurant.

It was not long before both had finished their dishes and Adrien began to yawn. Not that he was bored, but it was already far in the morning and his body was coming down from the adrenaline and his mind got used to the idea of the Safe Zone. Combine that with a good and heavy meal and he was bound to fall asleep.

Marinette noticed that and she began to yawn as well.

They giggled about infecting each other, but Marinette lead him back out to the street, back to Marianne's house and back through the tunnels to Moyenne. The walk was spent mostly in silence, but it was different. The silence was filled with intense glances and shared giggles.

Adrien felt like he was drunk or high, simply because the girl walking next to him offered him something he hadn't known before.

When Adrien got back home, shimmying back through the tiny hole leading to Gouvernement, his first instinct was to run back. The truth crashed on him once more and he felt crushed. The many fountains were laughing at him, the white facades staring at him, the high walls mocking him. They knew what he did and they were judging his decisions.

Gouvernement was an illusion, born out of the need to separate the rich from the poor. Showing the wealth many could only dream of. The fact that he was living here, separated from anything that was real was crushing him.

With a heavy head and tired mind, he slipped back into his father's mansion, crept back into his huge room and hid in his too soft bed.

His mind was still whirring, because his life had been turned upside down, but he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.

:

When Marinette woke up the next morning, she felt giddy. It was already well past noon, but she was allowed to sleep longer on weekends. Not that her parents knew what she did at night, but they never complained should she sulk down the stairs at lunch, yawning and overall tired. They guessed she was up all night but they rarely ever asked, simply reminding her to go to bed earlier next time.

She was grateful for the freedom they granted her.

However, when she turned in her comfortable sheets and glanced at her mobile to read the time, she was surprised to find a message from Adrien.

_Adrien, 9:55: Good morning :3_

Giggling because of the emoji, she eagerly tipped back.

_Me, 12:17: Good midday :P how are you?_

The response came immediately.

_Adrien, 12:17: Good. Feel a bit shallow though_

_ Marinette, 12:18: Was to be expected. Home seems different after Eden, right?_

_ Adrien, 12:18: Yeah. Anyway, got some free time this afternoon? I'm free and could use some company._

Marinette smiled and pressed her mobile to her face. She had been afraid he would avoid her after he saw her life in the Safe Zone. She was scared he would see her differently, would avoid her or downright out her to the police.

God only knows why she showed him everything in the first place.

First, she just wanted to show him Eden to scare him off and it had worked a bit, but he did not run. Contrary, he had followed her over the rooftops, listened to her stories, when she explained the situation. He had listened and asked questions.

Adrien had turned pale a few times, but she had counted on that. She would have most likely broken out in tears.

But Adrien had been strong, he followed her and still stuck to her side. On a whim she decided to distract him and took him with her when she took the wheat, disregarding Marianne's warning.

And it had paid off. Adrien had gloriously saved her butt and she couldn't be any happier. Then she showed him her family's restaurant and he turned back to naturally charming, ate something and even joked with her.

He took everything pretty well and _still_ wanted to meet her.

Sighing happily, she answered, asking when he could be in Moyenne. They could grab some lunch from her parents and then take a walk or something. It might not be a date, but every second spent in his presence was a good second.

He eagerly declared he could be there in thirty minutes and Marinette squealed, quickly hurrying out of her bed and getting ready.

She just hopped out of the shower when her phone rang.

"Good morning, Alya, how is this wonderful day to you?" she sang, putting her wet hair into a bun, to be dried later.

"_Okay, who are you? You're way too cheery. I know Ladybug was out yesterday, so Marinette should be grouchy now_," she murmured, visibly confused.

Marinette only laughed while digging through her wardrobe, wanting to find the perfect outfit for later. "I happen to be meeting someone in about twenty minutes," she sang.

"_Adrien?_"

"Yeah," Marinette sighed blissfully. "God, you can't imagine how anxious I was after yesterday! But he still wants to talk to me, that's good, right?"

"_What was yesterday_?" Alya asked and Marinette stopped in her trek through her wardrobe, shifting her mobile to be pressed between her ear and shoulder.

"Sorry I didn't tell you," she mumbled, "I know you don't like him much and I was scared how you will react. But everything's fine, really, he won't say anything."

"_Wait, don't tell me-"_

"I took him to Marianne's. And later to Uncle Cheng's restaurant. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Alya breathed heavily on the other end of the line, then huffed, grunted and huffed again. It was as if she didn't know what to say. Or what to say first. "_Marinette. Do you know how _dangerous_ that was?!"_

"Alya, I had everything under control-"

"_He's from _Gouvernement_! He's living in another world, he doesn't understand! No matter what he told you, what you think, he isn't anything like us, Marinette. Oh god, he will rat us out, what were you thinking?"_

"He won't tell anything, I made him promise," Marinette argued.

"_Promises don't mean anything in Gouvernement, Marinette. You know why they are hesitant to even let people from Moyenne inside, you not only betrayed us, but also the entire Safe Zone, you know that?"_

"It's not like that, Alya," Marinette huffed cutting her new argument off. "He helped me raid the Matin storage, we got five bags out. Five. And do you know what happened? There were six or seven guards on our back and he managed to hide us. He saved not only the food, but also my life, so would you be so kind and stop denouncing him?"

"_I'm sure he just saved his sorry ass and you and the wheat happened to be there as well,_" she mumbled, but heaved a heavy sigh. "_Marinette, it was reckless, you know that? You should have at least asked me or let me accompany you. I'm just concerned._"

"I know. But he won't tell anything."

"_If you say so. But I would be prepared to have my heart broken,"_ Alya argued and Marinette frowned.

"Nothing's going to happen. He's kind, Alya. He could do so much good."

_"And even more bad_," Alya said. "_But that aside, Marianne was asking whether you and – oh my god, he's Chat Noir, right? Okay – you and Adrien could break into Monsieur Garnier's factory, there's a map with useful information in the office. Nothing too hard, I guess, but now I'm going to come with you._"

_"_There's no need to babysit us, Alya. We can go, but you please stay at home. Your mother is still in Germany, right? Stay at home and take care of your family," Marinette said and dug further through her wardrobe, searching for that one dress she was certain was here somewhere.

"_There's no way I'm going to stay put now,"_ she argued, but Marinette simply brushed her off, tugging the blue fabric out of the pile of clothing

"I have to go now, Alya, see you on Monday," she chimed and ended the call, throwing the mobile on her chaise.

Alya was behaving weirdly this week. She was her best friend for almost a decade now, the two had grown constantly closer over the years and Marinette really cherished their relationship. She was like the sister Marinette never had. But she had been acting funny since Adrien had joined them.

He was important to Marinette and that was clear after the Sorting and Marinette wondered what was up with Alya. Did she feel threatened by him? She always glared at him whenever he so much as approached her.

* * *

**Muhahaha, things are heating up wiith Alya! Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed or favorited! And again: A HUGE thank you to RoseySparrow for editing 3**


	8. New Partners

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, University is starting up again and I kinda lost track of the days :P However, here's the next chapter! Again, a huge THANKS to RoseySparrow for editing~**

**Previously on Behind the Walls**: Marinette and Adrien are drawing closer with each passing day. Marinette, dressed as Ladybug showed Adrien, aka Chat Noir, the Safe Zone.

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Chapter 8: New Partners

Sighing, Marinette hoped Alya's attitude would drop soon enough. She really seemed to be mad at her for meeting up with Adrien. Sure, it was risky to take him with her, simply because he was from Gouvernement. There were many prejudices surrounding the snobs from up there. Spending money that could feed ten families for a week in barely a second. Streets of gold, sparkling water and dresses as light as air. But also the people are distant, shallow. Above all trivial things.

She always doubted people from Gouvernement would care. Chloé was the best example. Snotty, better than everyone else and bathing in money.

But then Adrien came around and showed her a person she had barely ever seen. He was kind, caring and maybe a bit too innocent. He had shown her that her prejudices were unreasonable, at least concerning him, and she had a suspicion that he was trustworthy.

And he proved that he was okay with the way she lived her life.

Sighing dreamily, she glanced at her clock and found that she had wasted ten minutes. With a squeak, she began to blow-dry her wet hair when someone suddenly poked their head into her room through the trapdoor.

Marinette had expected her mother, but it was Adrien. "Hey, Marinette," he smiled and Marinette tumbled out of the chair she sat on and landed on her butt painfully.

"Wha- what are you doing here already?!" she squeaked, tugging the dress down from where it had ridden upwards because of her fall.

Adrien blushed and averted his gaze. "Eh, well, I was a bit early and your mother, who is _really_ nice, ushered me upwards, with, uh, these," he smiled and pulled himself into her room, a plate with two quiches sitting next to each other.

"I, uh, like your room," he commented and glanced around.

Marinette stood up, self conscious. Her room was crammed, barely fitting every piece of her furniture inside. The small space that was unoccupied was littered with fabrics, tissues or papers with designs on top. Her bed was still a mess and her desk littered with pencils, her chaise occupied with the outfits she had thrown out in search of the dress she was currently wearing.

"It's messy," Marinette murmured, slightly embarrassed. "I hadn't had any time to clean it and I didn't expect you to come up here."

"It's perfect though, Marinette," he smiled and she thought she might faint. "It's cozy and warm, who cares if something lies around." Could he be any more perfect? "It would be nice to have something to sit and eat on, though," he laughed and Marinette flushed.

"Of course," she squeaked and, in one big swipe, cleaned her chaise, throwing the clothes next to it on the floor. "Please, sit, I just wanted to, uh," she glanced around, asking herself what she was about to do when he entered.

"You are pretty," Adrien suddenly said and Marinette flushed red, glancing back at him. "I... I mean, you have your hair down, I like that," he rushed, "And the dress fits really well, you made that, right? You told me you make your own clothes?"

Marinette giggled and nodded. Was he flustered?

The afternoon was blissful. They talked, both blushed and stammered and it made Marinette feel more than giddy on the inside. The mood was sometimes a bit down, especially when they talked about the Safe Zone. Adrien asked her some more questions, but heartily agreed to accompany her that evening.

They parted for dinner, but met up at their meeting point by the school again, sneaking out into the night as Ladybug and Chat Noir. He eagerly showed her his new gloves and an expandable baton he had had lying around and thought useful, for whatever reason he had had an expandable baton lying around.

There was a small encounter with Alya, or Rena Rouge, at Marianne's, but Ladybug managed to dodge anything too revealing. It made Marianne suspicious and Rena Rouge angry, but Ladybug couldn't care less.

Having Chat Noir at her side felt natural, easy. He was the one whose company she missed when she felt down. He was the one guarding her when she raided the office, he was the one hiding her behind the desk when a guard strolled by. Chat Noir was her partner and she couldn't be any happier.

However, that boy got on her nerves during school. The next week was okay, she guessed. All of them got used to their new schedule and subjects and Marinette really enjoyed being there. It began to sink in that she was indeed going to be a protector when she finished school and she couldn't wait to learn more about Akuma and gifts, hoping she would be able to use her knowledge to help the Safe Zone in some way.

School was only a bit tiresome, because Alya, for whatever reason, decided to openly be mad at Adrien. It worried Adrien and drove Marinette mad. She only hoped Alya would drop her attitude as soon as she realized that Adrien was really nice and fun to be around.

It was during MentEd on Friday and after another round of Meditation, Monsieur Dumanche had suggested a little tournament to find out how their team dynamic was now and to compare it to another tournament at the end of the year.

Normally, the arena would suffice for something like that, but the school had rented a field in the Outer Ring for training practice. However, they were just matched against a team that had seemed awfully strong to even look at and fighting them seemed impossible.

Adrien and her were huddled behind a gigantic rock Ivan had thrown at them. Alya and Nino were in a similar position not far away from them, but too far off to come up with a plan. Ivan was still bombarding them with an onslaught of rocks and earth. It wasn't too bad, but every time one of them peeked out of their hiding, Kim would shoot at them with one of his arrows. They had no point of course, because their teacher had insisted on non-threatening weapons, but they hurt like hell when one of them managed to hit you and gave you a large enough bruise or cut.

Alya had once managed to break through the attack, but got instantly gooed up by Mylène, and thrown around like a rag doll. With massive effort, they had managed to free her and she was still picking the goo from her orange jacket. Max, the last member of their opposing team seemed to be the tactician for he was shouting orders whenever someone decided to duck out of the hiding places. Max held the flag they were supposed to capture, while Marinette held theirs tightly.

The reason why Adrien got on her nerves was because he was joking _all the time._ The amount of rock puns he had spouted should impress her, but his non-stop talking and his glancing out of their hiding place resulting in a major focus on their rock instead of Nino and Alya's.

The constant barrage of rocks flying past them and the mud and earth spritzing in their faces together with his talking drove her crazy.

She couldn't think, she couldn't act. They were supposed to use their powers, but they had two people with next to no powers at all. She grew frustrated.

"Ten more minutes, kids," their teacher shouted from the side and Marinette grew panicked. They just couldn't be ruled out this early.

Glancing around, she tried to find _something_. Something they could use, something that would help them.

"We really did a _solid_ job here," Adrien whined, having narrowly missed another rock hauled at his face.

"It's not over yet," Marinette hissed, "And maybe we could be _somewhere_ if you could stop with those _awful_ jokes."

Adrien gasped. "I thought you liked my humour."

"No one likes that," she spat but he seemed to take an incredible small amount of affect from her words.

"Don't rub _basalt _in my wounds," he sniffed and cackled when another rock hissed by Marinette's side. "They are the most precious and most powerful _gems_ I have to offer."

"Yeah, because with your puns, we could actually win," she murmured and then an idea hit her. "Actually, we could."

Glancing out of their hiding spot, she saw Kim flying his rounds, looking bored. "Adrien," she addressed him, turning back. "Shout out as many jokes you can, distract them. Ivan might be hard to crack, but Kim surely not. Try to distract him."

"On it," he laughed with a shrug, not knowing what her plan was. Crouching, he peeked over the rock and laughed. "You want to hear some rock puns?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Wait a sec, I'll dig some out!"

Kim was already snickering, which seemed to enrage Ivan and he hauled another stone into Adrien's face. He ducked just in time and Adrien laughed, before standing up again. "You know, it's totally my fault that the conversation here is eroding, that was never what I sediment."

Ivan roared and threw another, larger rock at him. Marinette glanced out again, to see they hadn't had much left. Mylène was even trying to bring some of their ammo back, but she couldn't carry much.

Deciding they were distracted enough, she told Adrien to keep distracting them and rolled out of their hiding, barely managing to dodge an arrow Kim shot at her.

Tumbling into Nino and Alya's hideout, she quickly huffed out her plan. "Alya, I need you to smear yourself with dirt," she huffed. The goo from Mylène was doing an easy job in keeping the dirt on her skin. "Nino, create as many bubbles as you can, try to create an entire wall, so we can cover Alya and Adrien. Alya, you have to create five or four illusions of yourself and Adrien, then surround Ivan and Mylène. The bubbles will distract Kim enough and then I'm going to dash forwards and attack Max. Hopefully this will work, I don't know whether we'll have a second chance."

Alya and Nino nodded and she quickly rolled back to Adrien, who was throwing a really awful joke at Ivan, enraging him even further. Their ammo was drastically depleted. They could get through soon.

"Adrien!" she called, catching his attention. "Nino's going to create a wall of bubbles, don't stop distracting them. When they are high enough, duck out with Alya and take Ivan and Mylène down, I'll get the flag."

"On it," Adrien laughed and threw another joke over her head. "Which animal terrifies even the bravest geologists? A c_rock_odile!"

Suppressing a groan, Marinette watched Nino create as many bubbles as possible. They were flowing over the rocks and Ivan was too busy trying to haul his rocks at them to notice until it was too late. They weren't able able to pop too many of them and Kim with his arrows didn't hit enough. Mylène was even more useless, her goo was sticky, but the bubbles simply bounced off, unaffected.

"Five more minutes!"

Max was screaming to destroy Nino's bubbles, but no one was really able to. Nino produced too many too fast. Smirking, she gave Alya a thumbs up and, hidden behind the wall of Nino's bubbles, who was flushed red from his effort, she blew on her flute and created three or four copies of her and Adrien.

Gently placing her hand on Adrien's lower back to catch his attention, he turned to her with a broad grin. "Okay, Nino and Alya are ready, go and get 'em, kitty," she smirked and he winked.

"As the Lady wishes," he bowed. Then he nodded at Alya and the two dashed off, their clones following.

As soon as Ivan and Mylène were distracted, Kim fighting against the onslaught of bubbles, Marinette ducked out of her hiding place. She dodged a blindly thrown rock and skipped around a blast of goo from Mylène.

Max was throwing orders around and Marinette could barely hear his commands to Kim. But Kim suddenly turned around, his back facing the battle field and Marinette dreaded what was about to come.

She had to hurry. Kim was flapping his wings, drawing winds up to push the bubbles back. They would soon be without any cover and their opponents were going to have a free field to shoot them with more rocks and goo and arrows.

Gulping, she dashed through their barriers, out of the protection of the bubbles.

Max, being hidden behind one of the larger rocks squeaked and tried to evade her, calling for help.

Groaning, she noticed Mylène parting from Ivan's side and shooting goo after her. Blob after blob was splashing behind Marinette's back, hitting the grass, stone, and bushes.

Max was fast and easily slipped out of her grip. But Marinette was faster. Dodging more of the goo, she leaped forwards, latching her arms around his waist and both tumbled to the ground, rolling around a bit.

She made a grab for his belt where the flag hung, but suddenly, her collar was yanked back and she floated in mid air, strong wings rocking her around. Kim had hoisted her up from Max. Groaning, she gripped the wrist at her neck, struggling in his grip.

The boy holding her was cackling madly, keeping her at arms length so she would not kick him. "Ivan!" he called, "Get the flag from her belt!"

Screaming in rage, she struggled, kicking and flailing, but it was quite hard to hit anything when you were dangling a few metres from the ground.

That was when she suddenly heard a panicked yelp from Max and Adrien who was laughing madly. "I think you're in bubble!" Then, a weight at her leg pulled her and Kim down, his wings too weak to hold three people up.

Adrien was tightly gripping her shin, a red flag in his mouth. He had caught Max.

Eventually, Kim let them go and they tumbled to the ground, Adrien catching her easily and sprinted with her back into their side.

Now, they only had to protect both flags for the last few minutes and they had won.

Adrien was laughing in triumph, running like mad, still holding her over his shoulder, the flag in his free hand.

Glancing back, Marinette noticed Ivan stretching, reaching high. She managed to shout a warning, but Ivan quickly struck down to the ground. The earth under their feet was crumbling, a massive shock wave struck them and threw Adrien off balance.

Yelping, he tripped and Marinette, again, was airborne and hit her head hard on the ground, her back aching from the impact, her lungs protesting.

Coughing, she barely noticed how Adrien picked her up again and was carrying her back to their hideout.

"Mari, you okay?!"

"Yeah," she wheezed, "just need- breath," she coughed, her lungs still protesting with every attempt to move.

"It's okay, relax, take this," he murmured and pressed the flag in her hands, rubbing her back. "Alya!" he called for assistance. "Cover us!"

"Last minute, kids!"

"We nearly did it," Adrien giggled, Nino and Alya joining them, flanking Marinette and their precious flags.

Suddenly, goo caught Nino's ankle and he yelped, being pulled away from them behind their rock.

Tugging her feet closer to her, she watched how Alya and Adrien covered the open gap.

Adrien was the next, he fell hard to the ground and was snatched away within the next second. Gasping, Marinette thrust both flags into Alya's hands. "Run!" she ordered and barely managed to push Alya away from Mylène's goo.

She barely managed to register what happened when something tugged on her right foot harshly and her world sped past again as she got dragged over the muddy ground. She hit her elbow somewhere and was quickly dangled upside down in front of Kim and Max, both bearing hopeful and wicked faces, searching her torso and arms.

It was quite satisfying to see the hope and feeling of a secure win drain from their faces.

"Are you searching something?" she asked, a sweet smile on her face.

That was when a crazy laugh drew everyone's gaze to the rock, Alya standing on top, holding both flags in triumph over her head. That was when the bell rang, signalling the end of their battle.

"Okay, kids, battle's over! Team A wins!" their teacher shouted over their field. "Drop the weapons and free the students."

It was great seeing Kim and Max's shoulders slump, Ivan groaning behind her. Alya and Adrien were whooping and laughing.

Adrien, hanging next to her extended his fist and Marinette bumped her knuckles against his. They really were a great team.

After they were freed and everyone walked back to their cheering class, Adrien drew his arms around Marinette's shoulders, still laughing. Marinette gripped his jacket tightly, stumbling alongside him, flashing Alya at her other side a wide grin.

Alya faltered, but was soon occupied by their teacher who wanted to get the flags that were still in her possession.

Marinette's attention was ripped from her best friend when a squealing Rose flung her arms around Marinette and Adrien, throwing them off balance. They were laughing and soon, Adrien's arm vanished, being swept away by Nino, who had joined them.

Marinette was talking to Rose and Juleka, apologizing to Kim, but soon, their attention got drawn back to their teacher, who announced the next round. The remaining students were about to fight, Alix, Rose and Juleka against Chloé, Sabrina, Nathaniel, and Lila.

Their team settled onto the ground, too tired to stand behind their teacher.

Alya instantly hogged Marinette's attention, declaring how awesome her last move had been and Alya was glad she was with Marinette on a team. Adrien was by her side, talking to Kim and Max and Marinette smiled.

However, when the rest of their class began their fight, it was clear pretty soon who the winner will be. Team A, Rose's team was one person short, but it seemed to be no hindrance. Team B, with Chloé and Lila was... unbalanced. Chloé and Lila bickered the entire time, arguing who was supposed to carry the flag. It would have been the logical choice to give it to Sabrina, because she was able to get invisible, but neither seemed to consider that option.

With Chloé and Lila out of the fight, Sabrina and Nathaniel did everything in their power to resist Rose's perfume and tried to block Alix's speed. But then, Sabrina fell victim to Rose and with a simple order from the petite blonde, surprisingly more commanding than Marinette had imagined, Sabrina got invisible, sneaked up to the still screaming girls and caught the flag.

It was hell afterwards.

Alix had both flags by the time Chloé and Lila realized what was going on and the speedster zoomed around, always out of their reach. Team B fired inconsistent attacks at their opposing team, accompanied by curses against Sabrina, the 'traitor'.

It was messy and by the time their time run out, the teams behind their teacher were uncomfortably silent. Monsieur Dumanche scolded them for their lack of team spirit and their general incapability to work together. It was bad, because Sabrina and Nathaniel were part of the scolding even though they had given their best.

Alix bragged at Kim, but when Rose and Juleka joined Marinette and Alya, she frowned. "I mean, it's cool we won and such and we can fight against you guys now, but it feels wrong to have won that way," she murmured, slumping at Marinette's other side. "I feel awful."

"Hey, at least you can beat _us_ fair and square," Marinette smiled to encourage them.

Alya only laughed. "No, you mean, _we_ will beat _you_ fair and square."

Everyone laughed and Monsieur Dumanche announced the next round. The previous Team B's are going to compete first. That meant that Kim, Max, Ivan and Mylène were up against Chloè, Lila, Sabrina and Nathaniel.

Marinette pitied Nathaniel and Sabrina, really. Chloé and Lila seemed to instantly fall back into bickering, despite the lecture they had _just_ received.

The only change was that they seemed to have accepted the fact that they needed to actually win to not come out as the last from their tournament. They quickly accepted Sabrina as their flagbearer, the decision finally leading to something that resembled more of a fight.

There was still no team spirit, Lila and Chloé both trying to launch attacks at the opposing team, while Nathaniel gave his best to protect Sabrina from the thrown stones.

Max had quickly switched to their previous tactic, bombarding them until there was an opening to catch anyone via Mylène and reduce their number, hopeful to get Sabrina eventually.

Chloé was the first one to be caught, she refused to get dirty and duck for cover. Needless to say she loudly complained after she got covered in goo and glued to a nearby tree.

Nathaniel was the next one, his concentration slipped after Lila had thrown him a ridiculous order. Trying to do what she told, he got captured and was put next to Chloé.

That was when Sabrina decided to get invisible, hiding out of anyone's sight. When Lila complained that the traitor had to stay with them, she got captured as well and stripped to the tree with a wailing Chloé and an exhausted Nathaniel.

The field turned silent, no one knowing where Sabrina was hiding.

Kim and Ivan turned to Max, questioning what to do. It was too late to realize it was too quiet, because suddenly, Chloé and Nathaniel were free, attacking them from behind. Mylène was instantly trapped in a box drawn by Nathaniel. Max really struggled this time to shout orders.

Marinette had to admit, it was clever to attack them in their own zone, behind their backs. She doubted it was planned though, partly, because Lila still was trapped to the tree, screaming for her teammates to set her free. They actually gained some ground after that, but Max quickly figured out how to find Sabrina. With the help of Ivan's shockwave that had already thrown them off balance, he managed to spritz Sabrina with an awful lot of mud. Chloé distracted, because her suit was ruined as well and Kim keeping Nathaniel busy, they managed to get Sabrina into their grip, tugging the flag from her wrist.

After that, several poor tries to get both flags back failed horribly. The time ran out and the third and fourth place were tied.

They were next again, up against Alix, Rose and Juleka.

Marinette was anxious to say the least. Those three girls might be the most powerful team of all four. Alix' speed gained them a wide range of attacks neither one of them were able to counter. Rose's perfume could manage to get everyone who was unlucky enough on their side and Juleka's power was a great addition. With a zap from her hand, she was able to change place with every person she managed to catch.

Gulping, Marinette quickly herded her team around her.

"Okay, first of all, don't get zapped by Juleka. If she manages to catch you, the enemy is not only in our ranks, but we are also one person short, who will instantly fall victim to Rose," she explained glancing over her shoulder to their opponents who were strategizing in a similar manner.

"We need to find some cover in case Alix sneaks up to us," Alya objected. "Does anyone have any idea how to manage that?"

"Nino," Adrien grinned. "He can create some more bubbles, acting as an early warning system. He could deflect Juleka's beams as well," he grinned and Marinette nodded eagerly.

"That sounds like a great idea, do you think you can handle that? Stand to the side and cover us in bubbles?"

"I can try," Nino shrugged. "who gets the flag?"

"I vote Alya," Marinette said. "You can get a steady stream of illusions of yourself going, confusing Alix as well as Juleka. Let's just hope they don't grab the original."

"I stay with Marinette," Adrien said. "She makes our plans."

Alya and Nino nodded. "Okay, let's hope we don't lose too badly. If I see any opening to capture their flag, I let you know. The same goes for you, understood?"

Everyone nodded and Marinette signalled their teacher they were ready. The other's seemed to be only waiting for them. Marinette instantly noticed Rose had their flag. It was clever. Everyone coming close enough to catch it would be trapped.

Grumbling, she watched how their teacher began the fight and she and Adrien darted back behind a rock Ivan had left behind. Two Alya-copies joined them. It was crammed, but she really only needed to take care of her and Adrien.

There were two other's with Nino, as well as the original Alya and two more crouched behind a smaller rock further in the field.

Nino was already busy creating their shield.

A blur at Marinette's side told her that their opponents were by no means lazy. Alix zoomed around the field, observing their half. She noticed that she ripped at the first Alya's flag she crossed ways with.

Fortunately, it was an illusion and the flag turned into orange dust when Alix touched it. The illusion stayed though. When Alix zoomed by a second illusion, eliminating that one as well, Marinette groaned. "Alya, refresh!"

"On it!" came the response from several clones and those who had lost their flag dissipated in orange sparkles. They even ran around, ducking from cover to cover to confuse Alix.

Zaps from Juleka were ricocheting from several surfaces. Marinette hissed when a beam narrowly missed her.

"Mari, you got a plan?" Adrien hissed, ducking behind their rock once more, avoiding a beam from Juleka.

"I'm thinking," she hissed. Well, she had no clue.

"Mari," one of Alya's clones hissed, ducking into their cover. "I got a plan."

"Alya?" Adrien asked and indeed, the clone was the original.

"Yeah, doofus," she hissed. "Nino and I can't keep this up any longer, we need a plan, right now and I might have an idea."

"Shoot," Marinette encouraged.

"I can try to create an illusion from me around someone of us. While my clones and they dash forwards to distract them, they can try to get close to Rose. It may be risky, but it may work," she huffed.

"Okay, Chaton?"

"I can do it. On your signal," Adrien nodded.

With one more nod, Alya quickly waved her hand and her orange dust clouded Adrien, leaving another Alya next to her. He was slightly taller and leaner, but it may not be too obvious.

"On your signal," Adrien nodded and hurried out of the cover, ducking next to Nino who had gone pale in exhaustion.

"He's the fastest," Marinette murmured and exchanged a glance with Alya. "He will manage."

"Do you doubt him?"

"No," Marinette sighed. "But I'm scared it won't work. Okay, Alya, get ready."

Her best friend nodded and exchanged her position with a clone. Adrien as well was changing position.

Glancing over her cover, she noticed Juleka and Alix were both distracted, the three talking and trying to get another plan. It was their chance.

"NOW!" she called and instantly every clone dashed forwards.

A shriek told her that their sneak attack had worked, due to the bubbles they realized too late that they were being attacked.

Everything happened too slow, she wanted to call him back, as soon as she realized Rose was panicking, raising her pistol she used to shoot her perfume, randomly, spritzing around in angst.

Quickly assessing the situation, she ducked into Alya and Nino's cover, snatching the flag from Alya's waist. "Precaution," she exclaimed and dashed back, ducking just behind her previous hideout when she heard Adriens voice.

"At your service, dearest Rose," he sung and she cursed. Adrien was lost.

Rose on the other hand squealed in delight and instantly ordered him to get her the flag. His shout of Cataclysm made the earth tremble. She watched how cracks formed, ripping the ground apart. Like lightning the cracks spread across the lawn. Heading straight at them. The rocks they hid behind cracked and burst, rendering their cover useless.

She saw Nino and Alya hurry away, avoiding the cracks. Mirroring them, she glanced back to watch the damage unfold. Their opposing team was staring wide eyed at the amount of damage Adrien had caused. Alya and Nino seemed equally stunned.

It was Marinette's chance though. Using the moment of stunned silence, she dashed forwards. Adrien as well, his eyes clouded pink, dashed towards her. With quick leaps over the cracks, she used her experience as Ladybug and was past Adrien in a second.

The boy had no clue that Marinette was in possession of the flag now, so he ignored her.

Leaping to Rose, the girl squeaked again, squirting the pistol in panic, trying to catch her. Anticipating her movements, Marinette ducked under her hand. Grabbing her flag, she ripped the pistol around, hitting Rose's perfume into Alix face who was hurrying towards them.

It would be of no use, because they were on the same team, but it would distract the speedster.

Alix fell to her knees and sung Rose's phrase, while Marinette quickly shot Juleka as well, who was aiming at her. Then, she ripped the flag from Rose's wrist who was too confused and stunned to react.

Dashing past the next cloud she sprinted back to their side, both flags in her possession.

The triumph was only short lived, because Adrien seemed to have caught on on the true bearer of the flag.

Adrien still had a few minutes before he could use his powers, so she ducked under his hands. Completely relying on her fighting experience from the Safe Zone, she pushed him off balance, knocking his feet from under him.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng! Powers only!" their teacher shouted and Marinette huffed in exasperation. Her powers were useless for something like that!

Using the moment where he was still dizzy from his fall, she dashed back to Alya and Nino. Unfortunately, Adrien was hot on her heels and tackled her by the waist. Both rolled around the ground. She twisted her ankle in a crack and she heard him huff painfully, obviously hurt somewhere as well.

Groaning, she slipped off him as soon as she regained her sense of up and down. Marinette needed to get away from him. Adrien was faster though and instantly grabbed around her waist again and she grunted.

Luckily Alya managed to send her trustful fox and Marinette thrust both flags into his secure fangs. It dashed away and Adrien suddenly let go of her waist, no longer wrestling with her. In an attempt to keep him from dashing after the flags, she grabbed his flailing arms. With a heavy grunt, she pinned him to the ground, being the one trying to keep him there.

They fought for the upper hand, several minutes passing by and she dearly hoped that he didn't recharge too soon. At least not until she figured how to keep him tight and out of their way.

Adrien was strong and she tired out, but she had to keep him there, for their own teams sake.

It was when his right hand suddenly turned ashen and grey, his smirk growing when both realized he was able to use his power again.

Gasping, she flailed away, Adrien's hand rising back to the ground to throw her off.

Desperately trying to keep him from destroying the ground _again, _she punched him. Directly in his face. It felt weird, powerful and she accidentally let loose some of her sparks, desperate to do _something_.

Their game had developed into a war and she was losing one of her friends, one of her teammates. She simply couldn't do nothing.

Adrien slumped back, going limp in her grip. Blood dribbled from his nose as she held him, cautious and confused. She would have never thought she could knock him out with a single punch.

"Adrien?" she asked, hesitantly, shaking his shoulders.

The boy groaned and coughed. His charged hand had turned back to it's normal colour with his loss of control and he was now rubbing his surely aching cheek. "Adrien?"

"M'rnette?" he asked, his voice slurred and confused. But when he peeked up at her, his eyes were their normal, gorgeous green and she could have leaped in joy. But they were still on the battlefield, the fight of their friends still rushing over them. Luckily neither paid them any mind, but it wouldn't be long before someone realized Adrien was back to himself.

"No time to explain," she hushed him, crouching low over his chest. "We need to hide out until the time is run out, think, you can create a hole large enough for us four to hide in?"

"Eh... think so?"

"Good, hurry up," she ordered and pulled him to his feet. He staggered, his vision surely was blurry. He stumbled across the cracks, slower than she'd anticipated.

When Alix screamed, drawing everyone's attention to the two, Marinette quickly called to Alya and Nino to get their sorry asses over. Adrien understood and struck his hand into the ground again. Marinette felt the ground dissolve under her feet and she lost her balance, stumbling against Adrien. Alya and Nino leaped over to them and together, they fell into the hole, beams shooting over their heads, shouts crying loudly.

Everything got drowned out, when the rock Nino and Alya had used to hide behind collapsed on them, burying them in the earth.

Silence followed, haggard breathing the only interruption. Someone was laying heavily on her legs, an elbow poking in her thigh. Alya's hair tingling her cheek.

Adrien was still at her back, his arms slung lazily around her waist.

"Is everyone here?" She asked tentatively, letting sparks from her hand illuminate the small hole.

It was by no means spacious, they could barely sit properly. Nino and Alya were a messy heap, sprawled across Adrien's and her lap.

"Okay," Alya grunted. Nino squeaked when they moved and Marinette groaned when the elbow penetrated her leg further. It was a really tight squeeze and they needed quite some time to organize their limbs, but eventually, everyone managed to sit. Alya squeezed at her left, her legs slung over Marinette's lap, Nino between Marinette and Adrien's feet.

"Please tell me you have both flags," Adrien whined, his head lolling onto Marinette's shoulder.

"Yeah," Alya grunted, flailing to reach her back pocket. "just in time though, man what were you thinking, getting captured like that?!"

"Sorry-" Adrien began, but Nino jumped in.

"It wasn't his fault!" he hissed, "only because you can't stop your-"

"End this sentence and I will end you," Alya threatened.

Huffing, Marinette raised both hands. "Guys, calm down, will you? We got both flags, we're secure, there is no need to blame people," she said, flicking an annoyed glance to Alya. What was up with her? She really was behaving weird these days. "We just have to wait for the timer to run out now, understood? We're deep enough and that rock is heavy enough to hide us. They can dig us out later."

Alya huffed and avoided her gaze. Silence fell again and Marinette let herself relax against Adrien's... chest.

Wow.

She hadn't realized she was practically sitting in his lap and he had his head still resting on her shoulder. His hair was soft against her cheek and neck and his breathing was still laboured, but steady. The rise and fall of his chest a comforting rhythm.

His arms were still around her waist. They were strong, she felt his muscles under her own fingers were they rested against his lower arm.

He was warm and comfortable. Soft and- okay, she needed to stop thinking this was cuddling. This was hiding out in a really cramped place and it doesn't matter if his breath was ghosting over her exposed neck.

Shivering she watched their roof.

"You okay?" he murmured, his voice muffled by her jacket. His voice sounded clogged and stained.

"Yeah, you?"

"Nose and cheeks hurt," he chuckled, gently raising his head to look at her. And indeed, his nose was stained with blood, it still dribbled occasionally, his cheek was an angry red that was already turning purple.

"Woah, dude, what happened?!" Nino exclaimed, leaning over Marinette's makeshift lamp to inspect his best friend further.

Adrien only laughed breathlessly. "Mari punched me." Simultaneously, his arms tightened around her stomach, a silent reassurance that he wasn't mad.

"Sorry," she murmured, lightly petting his other cheek.

"It's okay, it ripped me out of Rose's spell," he shrugged and Marinette marvelled how she could feel his muscles move in her back. "I really don't mind."

Again, his arms squeezed her and she smiled at him.

"Please," Alya scoffed, "can you be gross somewhere when we're not stuck in a tiny hole?"

Adrien and Marinette laughed, barely noticing the concerned look Nino threw at Alya.

It was then, when they heard scratching from above, their roof wiggling, spraying them in tiny crumbs of earth. The four held their breath. If their opponents managed to free them, they would be dead. Not literally, but they had no way to escape now.

Then, the first light shone into their hideout and they squinted their eyes against the brightness, when the stone got heaved from their hole.

It was Ivan. Next to them stood their teacher. "Congratulations. You won," he smiled. "But please remember, in a real battle, you still need to be able to get out on your own."

Marinette grinned sheepishly and nodded, along with her teammates.

After he declared them the winner of the whole class, they were excused to go back to their school, to change and take a shower. It was mostly their team, covered with Mylène's goo and mud from both battles.

Alya and Marinette joked on their train ride back to school, Alya boasting to their class how they were the best team, Adrien and Nino were quick to support her, occasionally throwing in a comment or two.


	9. Coup de Foudre

**I'm a day late... again. Anyway, University's a b... and here you go with another chapter! Thanks to RoseySparrow for editing 3**

**And previously on Behind the Walls:** Having passed the Sorting, Marinette and Adrien are becoming friends. Marinette, dressed as Ladybug, showed Adrien the Safe Zone. Alya is behaving weird, but that doesn't affect their teamwork yet. They were parted into groups during MentalEducation and were fighting other teams in their class.

* * *

Chapter 8: Coup de Foudre

When they got back to school, they quickly hurried to the changing area, where the boys parted from them. When Nino held Alya back, Marinette threw her a curious glance, as well as Adrien, but Alya waved them off.

With a knowing smile, Marinette skipped to her locker and pulled her things out. Alya and Nino were really cute together. He would be Alya's first boyfriend and Marinette was happy Alya finally found someone that seemed to be good for her.

It was a bit surprising, because Marinette never had had a feeling Alya was interested in boys or relationships in general. But Nino was nice and he was a good boy.

Marinette just wished Alya would finally tell her that she was interested in him. It really was a shame, she and Adrien could help them get together.

When Alya finally joined her, Marinette was about to undress.

The showers in her school were public, separated by low walls Marinette was grateful for. Her collège had showers that had no separation at all and she had often felt uncomfortable, always insisting on showering at home. But now, that the school was not as close to home as she was used to, it really was easier to shower there.

"What did Nino want?" Marinette asked, stepping under the shower and letting the water soak her muddy hair.

"Nothing important," Alya murmured, it was hard to hear her over the flowing water.

"You know," Marinette chirped, quite intent on giving Alya the push she needed to confess her infatuation with the boy to her best friend. "You and Nino are quite cute."

Alya spluttered and Marinette snickered. "Adrien and I could help you get together," she offered and laughed when Alya began to stutter.

"I- it's not like that!" she shrieked eventually, only making Marinette laugh harder. "I mean it! I don't even like him as a friend! He's awful, really, always so full of himself, thinking he knows everything better and pretending to _care_," she growled and Marinette threw her a sideways glance.

Alya was flushed and avoiding her gaze, stepping under her own shower head.

"Really?" Marinette drawled, rubbing shampoo in her hair. "I had the feeling Nino was quite nice. Always calm and Adrien says Nino's giving the best advice."

Alya only snorted. "Yeah, his advice is the _best_."

"Did you ask him something?" Marinette perked up, watching her friend who was looking quite miserable. "I'm here for you, you know? If something is troubling you, I can try to help too."

Alya only glanced at her, flushed and avoided her gaze again. Sighing, Marinette turned back to her own shower, scrubbing herself clean and throwing her towel around her frame when she finished. Her best friend was still busy staring at the wall.

With a sigh, Marinette got back to the changing room to get into her clothes, dumping the black suit from their school and her stained jacket in a plastic bag to wash them later.

When she was ready, she began to braid her damp hair, wanting to wait for Alya, but she was still under the running shower. Finishing her hair, Marinette quickly shouted a good-bye and promised to call her later, then stepped out into the hallway.

"Mari!" Adrien suddenly called her and she turned around, seeing him leaning against a wall. His cheek was still an angry red, but more purple than anything. She still needed to apologize.

"Adrien, did you wait for me?"

"Yeah," he admitted with a light blush. "I wanted to ask you whether I can accompany you again tomorrow evening."

The question threw her off guard, but she instantly knew what he meant and stepped closer, a smile playing on her lips. "Did the Safe Zone catch a lonely kitten?"

"No, a Ladybug did," he purred and Marinette flushed red. She had noticed Adrien was different when he was 'Chat Noir'. He flirted and made jokes, similar to the ones he had shouted during their battle. He was generally overall... _more_.

She liked it. His home life seemed to be far from good, a father with no sense of family and love. The urge to have to keep the face of Gouvernement and his famous name. The Safe Zone and their organization held warmth and the thrill that even infatuated her, having grown up with loving parents and family.

When she first invited him, she had thought it would scare him away, but the opposite happened and it seemed he wanted to be part of her second life as much as she enjoyed having Chat Noir by her side.

However, his clashing personalities were a surprise first, but when she had questioned him on Thursday after two whole days of being Adrien, he had simply shrugged and explained that he can't do many things as Adrien, but the Safe Zone didn't care about him or his appearance.

Then he had pointed out that she was a lot bolder as Ladybug as well and she realized that, with the power of the Safe Zone she held, she indeed acted a _bit_ different. When she had asked Alya about that, her best friend had only laughed and confirmed that Ladybug indeed was 'badass', something she would never use to describe Marinette.

It bordered on a personality disorder, really.

However, it was quite funny how he sometimes slipped from being Adrien to being Chat in the matter of seconds. But she wasn't any better.

"I guess Ladybug can handle a pet."

"Does that mean I can come tomorrow?" he asked, leaning into her space. She knew she should mind that, she hated it when Alya or Chloé did it without warning. With Adrien, funnily enough, she didn't mind.

"Only if you can keep up," she giggled and flicked his chest, making him retreat. "I have planned to show you to Master Fu and Plagg and another raid is coming up. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "However, do you want a ride home? My driver should be here any second."

"Nah," she waved off. "I can walk by myself just fine."

"Okay," he shrugged, but stopped with a wince. It was barely noticeable, but Marinette caught the little jerk of his shoulders.

"Are you still hurting?" she glanced to his cheek. "Let me see."

He struggled and tried to deny it, said he'll manage and that it wasn't too bad, but didn't manage to keep Marinette's hands from flying over his face. His nose seemed to be fine, but when her fingers fluttered over his cheekbone, right under his left eye, he visibly flinched back, gripping her arms to keep them from his face. "It's okay, you get hurt during battle. That's normal."

"Yeah, but..." It was unfair. She knew she had had sported various bruises and cuts throughout that lesson, she even had had a light concussion at some point when Adrien had tackled her. She knew that, but it had healed by now and her body was as spotless as it had been before. It wasn't fair.

Maybe she could try to expand her powers? They had talked about that once, she only had to try it on someone.

"Can I try to heal it? Please, I feel bad about it," she murmured, looking up at him.

For a few seconds, he said nothing, but eventually let her go and closed his eyes. "Okay, you can try."

Marinette took a deep breath. How should she do it? Maybe try her sparks? It was worth a shot, so she focussed on her hands. Immediately, the tingling spread in her lower arm, travelled through her palm and into her fingertips, colouring them a light pink. They danced from her skin and tingled as soon as they left her and died a few seconds later.

Okay. Concentrating on healing the muscles, the blood stasis behind his skin. She drew her hand closer to his eye. Lightly caressing the skin, she was intent on not hurting him. The sparks flew against the bruised spot, she felt warmth emitting from either her hand or his face, she wasn't certain. But her fingertips definitely shone brighter.

Frowning, she pulled her hand away and as soon as the last sparks had danced over his face, she saw... nothing. Well, no, not nothing. Nothing would mean it had worked, but the bruise was still there.

Humming in agitation, she tried it again. The sparks danced, her fingers shone, the sparks vanished, but the bruise stayed.

"Does it work?" Adrien whispered, sounding incredibly amused.

Grumbling, she closed her eyes as well and again focussed on transporting her own energy to him. She felt the tingling, the warmth and his skin under her fingers.

Squinting her eyes open, she was disappointed to see the bruise still resting on his cheek. "I'm sorry," she apologized again.

"Ah, don't worry," Adrien grinned, gently touching his cheekbone. "You'll get it eventually. Don't give up yet."

Marinette huffed and averted her gaze. She felt useless. All her teammates were doing some part in their team. Alya and Adrien were great fighters and even Nino could provide them with some cover. Only she was good for nothing. She couldn't even use that small part that made her special.

Her team might have won today, but she did next to nothing to help them. She only managed to fight with Adrien and get him a blue eye. And then, she wasn't even able to share her gift.

A hand on her shoulder drew her out of her thoughts. "Marinette?"

"It's just... I'm sorry. I wish I could help."

With a sigh, he extended the hand on her shoulder and pulled Marinette under his shoulder. "Well, this one was not one of your greatest _hits_, but with a bit of training- OW!" he laughed, but Marinette interrupted him with a punch in his ribs.

"I was honestly trying to apologize and you-"

"And _eye _was trying to _lighten up_ the mood! I'm _gifted _in-" he laughed, but did not manage to finish the sentence, because Marinette hit him again. But this time with her elbow. You know, the problem with elbows is that they fit perfectly between ribs.

"Ow," he complained again, turning his ribcage to the side to provide her with less target. "No need to lash out, Mari," he snickered though.

"You know, next time I won't even try to help you," she muttered sourly, but she had to admit, her mood was not as bad as it had been before. She'll just have to try again.

"Maybe," he snickered and led her towards the entrance of their school. "But honestly, maybe you can ask Master Fu to try to focus your energies better?"

He might be right. With a hum, Marinette cuddled into Adrien's side. Maybe she could live a bit more with him by her side. He made awful jokes, but managed to cheer her up. That was a plus, right?

That boy had developed that annoying habit somewhen during the week though. Not that she was complaining, but throwing his arm around Marinette's shoulder was reserved for couples. They were no couple, no matter how much Marinette wished it to be real.

But she enjoyed the closeness too much to really complain. Adrien always smelled like some fancy cologne. Right now, he smelled of an expensive shampoo. It was minty and fresh and so incredibly Adrien, it was fascinating.

The cheap shampoos she was using were always a bit itchy and their scent smelled like chemistry, despite their label.

"I really like your shampoo," she whined, "It smells great."

"Thank you, princess," he smiled and buried his nose in her still slightly damp hair. Marinette squealed and squirmed away, but he still held her close. "And I like yours. What is it? Strawberry?"

"Vanilla," she deadpanned.

"It doesn't smell like vanilla," he laughed, his brow furrowing.

Sighing, she shrugged. "It's hard to get get good smelling stuff. I really like Vanilla, because my père always uses some extract in some of his recipes. But the soap status in Moyenne is horrible. It does the job, but the scents are awful. I guess it's better than a simple curd soap though."

"Why would you use hard soap to wash your hair?"

"There's no such things like lotion or soap in the Safe Zone, Chaton. They have to use a simple bar of soap to scrub the last remnants of the streets from their skin. My problem is really only luxury," she explained, cuddling back into his side when they walked.

"Great, now I feel spoiled," he huffed. "But I'm going to get you a shampoo that really smells like vanilla, so we can be spoiled together."

And he really did. On Monday, despite her protests, he presented her a full bag of different lotions and soaps, shampoo and shower gel, all smelling of the finest vanilla.

:

Alya had exited the shower, feeling awful. She shouldn't have rebuffed Marinette like that. She had only meant well and didn't deserve how Alya had treated her.

With a sigh, she quickly dried and dressed, intent on apologizing. Just because Alya didn't know why she felt that awful, it didn't mean she had to lash out at Marinette. With a bit of luck, she could catch her best friend before she left and could apologize.

It was only when she opened the door and heard Adrien's voice when she stopped short. "Well, this one was not one of your greatest _hits_, but with a bit of training- OW!"

Both of them laughed and her heart leaped into that awful clench she got familiar with over the last week. She felt it every time Marinette showed him more attention than she paid to Alya. She hesitantly glanced around the door, watching the two a few paces over, both standing too close for her liking.

Marinette was clearly agitated with him. Good.

But that boy only laughed again and threw his arm around her. He had developed that awful habit and Alya hated every second of it.

She couldn't really hear any of what they said, but she was able to see. He was leading her best friend outside. Why did Marinette never pull away? Why did she cuddle him back?

The rest of the conversation was lost to her. Everything she was able to take in was their closeness and the inevitable feeling of loss.

It was soon replaced by a raging fire though, pulling her brows together. How does that... _boy_ have any right to treat Marinette like that?

Then, when they turned nearly out of her sight, Adrien burrowed his nose in Marinette's hair and she giggled. The clench turned into a knife, making her heart bleed. Painful throbbing down her arms and stomach spread poison through her veins, making her limbs heavy and making her eyes water.

Alya was by no means dumb. She recognized jealousy when she saw it. It just came somewhat unexpected. Alya wanted to be the one to hold Marinette, Alya wanted to be the one burying her nose in her freshly washed hair. She wanted to be the one to make her giggle.

And because she wasn't dumb, she recognized the source of her jealousy. She had feelings for her best friend.

_Don't do something dumb. Be happy for her, but when she chooses him, let her choose_, Nino had said. _I know you're still denying, but try not to destroy your friendship over this._

Nino was an asshole.

:

Chat Noir skipped through the streets of the Safe Zone, panting heavily. His Lady's laboured breathing directly behind his back.

It was a few weeks after he had joined her for the first time. They were a great team and managed to steal from companies and warehouses, managed to get food, money and the occasional fabric for clothing and blankets from many locations.

They had never failed before. Some close calls were routine by now, but either he or Ladybug always managed to tug the other into cover or make them run in time.

But this time, they had run into a trap. He knew the police was aware of the new team that was fooling with them again and again. Just yesterday, they had laughed about some posters littering the streets with awful drawings of them, declaring them as 'wanted'. There was quite a price on their heads, but they were still to be caught alive.

However, this might be the evening it might just happen.

One of Marianne's informants had offered them an easy job. A warehouse, only lightly guarded, full to the brim with corn, rice and even some vegetables from the Outer Ring, ready to be delivered to Moyenne the next morning.

They had scouted the area first, finding everything as described. Nothing seemed suspect, so they had crouched further, slipping into a window. Inside were many sacks and they began to pile some onto their shoulders. It was only due to his luck that one of his claws of his left glove that he was quite proud of, because he was able to scale buildings more easily, got caught in a loose thread and ripped one bag open.

Thousands of small kernels spilled to the floor, leaving both in some kind of shock. It was no corn, no rice. They were small, white and translucent. He knew these, because they were often used to press furniture. Heated, they could be used as anything. Fabric, tables and dishes. It was cheap and light material.

But now, it filled both of them with dread. Quickly ripping another sack, he found more of those kernels. They had run into a trap.

The light above their heads suddenly flashed on, blinding both momentarily. Thanks to their heightened reflexes due to their training, they were able to evade the net that was thrown at them.

Chat tackled Ladybug to the side and together, they scrambled out of the warehouse.

Hissing, he had found many spotlights shoved into their face, people screaming at them to surrender.

Ladybug, quicker to regain her sight and wits, grabbed his wrists and wanted to dash back into the warehouse, only to be greeted with three police officers, raising their guns at them.

Chat growled and glanced around, quickly assessing the situation. They were cornered. Behind them and in front of them were officers, still shouting at them.

He only thanked the gods that he had invested in masks. Ladybug had found them silly, but after seeing his face on a wanted poster, he wanted to be secure. Without them, they would be found out right now.

Static energy drawing close made his hair stand on edge and he quickly pushed Ladybug to the ground, bolts of lightning rushing over their heads, striking officers. In the back of his mind he recognized the power. One of the younger officers that had been at one of the meetings his father held occasionally with the police force was able to produce lightning out of his hands.

They had ordered officers with powers down into the Safe Zone to catch them. They must have caused a greater ruckus than they had imagined.

Ladybug pulled him to his feet and dashed to the opening the officer had created in his men's rows. It was their opening, but so far not their escape.

Officers were rushing to close the gap, but Ladybug and Chat were faster. Pushing those few aside that had managed to get close to them, they ran out of the circle. Darkness didn't manage to hide them, the spotlights following them like they followed their shadows in front of them.

Noticing how small bullets graced the cobblestone at his feet, he realized they were not trying to shot them, but he had seen those small projectiles on one hunt his father had taken him last year. Those things were common to sedate animals and obviously, the police force used them to catch criminals as well.

With an annoyed huff and already burning lungs, he tugged Ladybug away into an alley, wanting to scale the wall and be able to flee via rooftop.

She held him back, showing him how officers were trying to keep up with them on their usual escape route.

Openly groaning then, they decided with only one glance that it was better to stick to the alleys and the occasional shadow they guaranteed. Surely, once they were out of the structured warehouse district, they could lose them in the maze of the following alleys.

That was how they found themselves panting and dodging another police officer once more.

They were running for only a few minutes, but it felt like hours, every time they thought they had lost them, three or more officers turned up on the opening of their alley. It was as if they could track them and predict their way.

Was one of the officers able to do just that? God, he hoped not.

They turned a few more times, just having lost the blinding spotlight once more, when they ducked into another alley and were met with a wall.

Gasping, they turned around, ready to head the other way, when the spotlight suddenly flooded their alley and more officers crowded the entrance

Ladybug cursed and both ducked away, back to the wall, trying to shield their faces with the hoods of their jackets.

His breath was heavy, his legs screaming in protest and twitching under his suit from the exertion. Ladybug wasn't any better and they exchanged a desperate glance.

She glanced back to the wall and her brows furrowed. Destroying the wall was a no go. If they realized he could destroy things with one touch, they would search for his power specifically and will end up on his father's doorstep. He knew they could try to climb the wall as well, but it would be difficult without any help of a dumpster. But they had each other, right?

She came to the same conclusion and pulled the yoyo from her thigh.

It was only their mutual understanding that allowed him to understand what she meant. Quickly lacing his fingers together, he offered her a step. Quick as lightning, she used him as a ladder and he catapulted her over the wall.

He heard the whirring of her yoyo, ready to tug him over the wall as well, but before it could reach him, he again felt the crippling energy of a lightning approaching. Unable to dodge this time, he felt a searing pain in his side, just when her yoyo wrapped around his outstretched hand.

Barely registering anything apart from his side that was burning up, he felt the energy rip through his body. It was awful. His muscles, especially in his stomach felt like they were bursting, his insides burning up and his blood boiling.

Those parts that were not in direct contact were beginning to twitch uncontrollably, his fingers clenching, his knees buckling.

His vision went black.

It felt like an eternity when his brain kick-started again, mushy from the short circuit it had experienced. His lungs hurt and he took a gasp, trying to get oxygen in his system, but the second they moved, it hurt awfully.

Someone was pressing their hand against his face, trying to shush him and his protesting lungs. They held him close, whispering nothings. Whatever they said barely got back to him, the words making no sense for his fried brain.

But their voice was soft and comforting, the calm and warmth they produced slowly slipping into his ears, soothing his haywire brain.

Eventually, the words began to make sense and he clung to those few whispered words, listening to them as best as he could. Breath deep. It's okay. You're safe. Breath, Chaton.

Their words managed to keep him sane. He was short of panicking when his body refused to calm down, but their presence and a soothing hand in his hair seemed to work wonders. His heart began to calm down, his insides didn't burn as much as they did at the beginning.

His limbs were still twitching and he was shivering madly. He noticed he had begun to cry as well, but eventually, he came back to his senses.

Chat was in Ladybug's arms, cradled in her lap, his face buried in her neck. He took a deep breath of her scent, the comforting, sweet vanilla washing over his senses.

"M... Ma-" he croaked, finding his voice incredibly hoarse.

"Shsh," she shushed him, rocking him back and forth. "Everything is okay. You're with me, we're safe. Everything's okay."

Coughing, he tried to get his lungs and throat to function properly. "Mar- nette?"

"It's okay, Chaton," she sniffed, "Everything's okay," she hiccuped and he noticed with a start that he wasn't the only one sobbing uncontrollably.

"M'ri, M'L'dy," he croaked, grabbing for her face with shaking fingers. "Wha- what ha- happn'd?"

She only sobbed more, clinging to him tighter. "Heart," she sobbed, her face buried in his cheek, her tears flowing down his face, down his neck. "Stopped," she whispered. "I was so scared."

When his slow brain registered what she meant, he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. It was weak and he knew it was by no means comforting, but his muscles weren't able to do anything more.

Chat let her cry, let her tears flow until she felt better. He himself tried to calm his still racing heart, tried to get his shaking and twitching limbs under control, while whispering to her that he was fine, that he was with her.

It seemed to do the trick, because his speech slowly returned to him and Ladybug stopped crying. Eventually, she pulled back slightly, allowing him to see her clearly. Her eyes were puffy and red, her lips pulled back in deep concern.

Raising his still shaking hand to her cheek, he lightly rubbed her tears from her eyes and she sighed, closing her eyes. This moment was incredibly intimate, both basking in the comfort the other provided. Words weren't needed. He simply bumped his forehead against hers, his muscles still week, but he needed her as much as she needed him right now. A shared breath, shared warmth.

At least, they now knew, Marinette can share her power with others.

When both had calmed down a considerable amount, Ladybug explained what happened. He had blacked out when she had pulled him over the wall. With great effort, she managed to tug him into a sewer, closing the lid just when the first officers scaled the wall. The alley had been empty and they must have assumed they had resumed to their run, barely realizing that Chat got hurt.

And here they were, an empty, closed off sewer. They sat in horrible smelling mud, the walls greasy and his foot slipped in something he didn't want to know what it was, but they were safe for now.

But they needed to go somewhere where they could recover and sleep a good portion until going back home. The sewer was anything but hygienic and his already frazzled nerves were repulsed at the thought in sitting in rotten excrements.

Ladybug helped him stand somehow and checked the lid when he stumbled against the greasy wall. He hissed when he tried to move his very sore and very stiff side.

"Okay, the coast is clear," Ladybug murmured and, with great effort, both managed to heave him out of the sewer. Chat groaned and rolled onto his back, his knees and arms wobbling with the exercise. How he would hide this from his father was a mystery.

"I know a place where we can go. It's not ideal, but will work. I'd go to Fu, he has tea and ointments, but..." she glanced around, anxiously. "But Tikki told me to not come for a few days. It seems they suspect the restaurant. You're lucky I picked some things up, though," she murmured and pulled the arm of his good side over her shoulder.

The position bought a bit of comfort, the movements were sluggish though, and she was supporting him more than he liked to admit. His limbs were stiff, and would sometimes unexpectedly twitch and he'd lose his balance. However, the exercise seemed to slowly reawaken him and, with a bit of concentration, he worked his way forwards.

She led him through a few streets, sometimes quickly tugged him into another alley, or behind dumpsters. The police were still searching for them and they had to evade them more than a few times.

But eventually, they met less and less of them and Marinette lead him back to some warehouses. They had crossed that block a few times, but Marinette never told him what was inside. Well, he hadn't asked.

Stepping to a metallic back door, Marinette rapped her knuckles against the frame.

He heard a noise inside and suddenly, on eye level, small window opened and icy blue eyes greeted them. Upon seeing Marinette and him, they widened and the window closed again, only for the door to entirely open.

"Ladybug," the boy behind said, ushering them inside. "What happened?" His voice was smooth and soft, he was a few years older than them and wore an old shirt with some printed logo from an unknown band. His black hair was dyed bluish in pieces.

While Marinette quickly explained everything, Adrien glanced around. They were in a dimly lit hallway and he noticed some faint beat coming from somewhere downstairs. Where were they?

"Kitty, come on," Marinette murmured and tugged at his side. "Luka's going to get some water and stuff, we'll get you somewhere where you can rest a bit."

"Thanks," he slurred, noticing some stars dancing in front of his eyes. The small rest had only managed to make him aware of how everything hurt. His right foot was burning up, along with his middle that was reminding him of his still liquefied intestines.

Suppressing a groan, he tumbled to a nearby wall, Marinette being dragged behind. "Adrien," she groaned and he felt her tug at his side. His vision went fuzzy and he heard her call his name a few times, but he was unable to focus on much aside from the deep urge to close his eyes and sleep for a while. He was incredibly tired.


	10. Changes

**Thanks to RoseySparrow for editing 3**

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** After a failed raid in the Safe Zone, Chat Noir got struck by lightning, nearly dying. Marinette's healing power saved his life.

* * *

Chapter 10: Changes

His mind was halfway in that hallway, halfway in an uneasy dream where he trailed his father in one of the mansion's hallways. His legs were heavy and his father was too fast, but he had to stay with him or he would get mad. He didn't want to disappoint him, so he took all his strength together and pushed himself off the wall.

Someone else was suddenly with them, helping them along. There were voices, someone was talking to him and his delusional mind imagined Nino. His best friend was right by his side, throwing him confused glance. "_Bro?_"

"Nino? What are you doing here?" he sluggishly asked. Throwing a glance back to his father, he frowned. He had to stay with him, he had to stay by his side. But he was so far away.

"_I was going to ask the same?"_ Nino said, his voice got blurred, from somewhere came music, a beat that shook the entire hallway. The image shifted and he was suddenly in another dark hallway, Ladybug was by his side, dragging him along. He could see sweat forming on her temple. She looked concerned.

Glancing back to Nino, who suddenly wore... was that a clown-nose? No, but something red was in his face. He was sweating as well.

Glancing ahead, his father stood at the end of the hallway, his back turned. "Père," he mumbled, and closed his eyes for a second, only to be back home again, his father at the end of the incredibly long hallway. Was he wearing wings?

"_He's delusional," _he heard Marinette murmur, but he was alone, no Nino, no Marinette. Why was he always alone?

He woke up when someone tugged at his side and it felt like someone was pulling hooks through his skin, hanging him upside down over a raging fire. Groaning, he tried to get away from the pain, but some hands held him back. They were warm hands, comfortable hands.

"Bro, you need to drink that," someone told him and put something against his lips. Doing what the person had said, he swallowed the bitter liquid. It burned it's way past his mouth and down his throat. It tasted like cheap wine sometimes did, but much worse, more dark and bitter. He had the feeling it wasn't wine, so he spluttered it out again, it was burning his throat, after all. He had already liquefied his intestines, did he need to lose his esophagus as well?!

"No, no, it's okay," the someone who held him murmured. "that's medicine, I swear."

Humming in displeasure, he swallowed another gulp.

"I'm nearly finished," Marinette suddenly murmured. Marinette was with them? Where?

He had to gulp down some more of that 'medicine'. He doubted it really was one, but if Mari was with him, he knew it wasn't as poisonous as it tasted.

He tried to pry his eyes open as the glass vanished from his lips. Everything was still blurry and dark, but he was able to make out a lamp nearby and three people surrounding him. One was a bit further away, but there were definitely three. He knew they were underground as well. Everything felt cold, wet, and a bit too dark to be above ground.

"Where' we?" he asked and rubbed at his eyes with difficulty, trying to get his vision clear.

"Catacombs," the person at his right answered and he identified her voice as Marinette's. "A hidden chamber."

"Cool," was the only thing he was able to answer.

"Bro," the person on his left answered and he thought it might be Nino. He sounded like Nino, but what would Nino be doing in the Catacombs with him and Mari? "I was so shocked when you two suddenly tumbled into the club," he laughed. "I didn't know you were here to begin with."

"Yeah, can you imagine _my _confusion?" Marinette asked and he noticed she was tugging something across his stomach. "There, finished. That should hold a while."

"What happ'n'd?" Adrien slurred and blinked, still trying to clear his eyes. The third person, who stood in one corner, glancing around nervously. It was the boy who opened the door for them.

"Well, you collapsed and we dragged you down here," the Nino knock-off answered. "Another slug?"

"No, thanks,"he groaned and rubbed his head. "What is that anyway?"

"Whiskey," the doppelgänger of his best friend laughed. "I know it's nothing like you could get in Gouvernement, but it's numbing your pain, so it's good enough."

"Wait, how much-" he asked and eyed the bottle that was almost completely empty. "You didn't give me the entire bottle, right?"

"No, most of it went onto your foot and stomach," Marinette explained and was tugging his shirt back over his chest. "How are you feeling?"

"Groggy," he answered honestly and glanced around again. His sight had cleared a good bit, but that boy at his left still looked like Nino. He wore some face paint and a really weird hoodie, but... still Nino. "You're not Nino, right?"

"Bro," the boy laughed and wiped some paint from his face with his sleeve. "Yeah, it's me. You're not hallucinating."

"What are you doing in the Safe Zone?"

"I should ask you the same, shouldn't you be sleeping merrily in a too comfortable bed in Gouvernement?" Nino asked and patted his shoulder. "But, for your interest, I told you, I DJ sometimes. I just never told you where."

"Illegal clubs are very popular," Marinette explained and threw him a disapproving stare. "I never attended any, but I apparently know a few people working there," she said and threw a glance back to the boy still standing in the corner. "That's Luka, by the way. Luka Couffaine."

The boy nodded at him, but resumed his position by what seemed to be the entrance of their chamber.

"He's keeping lookout," Nino explained and patted his shoulder again. "In case someone comes around."

"It seems, the police caught up with us. But we managed to drag you down here," Marinette explained again. "They raided the house."

"And crashed the party. Man, I lost some good music there," Nino grumbled. "You think you can move? We shouldn't stay here any longer than necessary."

Frowning, he quickly assessed his situation. The bandages around his chest and stomach were tight, but were rubbing a bit uncomfortably against raw skin beneath. However, he'd manage until he was home and could apply some salve or something to his burned skin. His head felt a bit wobbly, but he could manage with that as well.

The thing that was not so nice was his right foot. It felt like someone had sliced it off and exchanged it with burning iron. "I'm fine, but I don't know whether I can walk. What happened to my foot?" he murmured and tried to sit up. The world spun a bit and there was some pressure against his skull.

"Lightning always tries to find the fasted point to earth. You were midair when he struck you, so the lightning went out of your foot, trying to get out of your body," Marinette hummed and helped him sit up. "It fried your shoe, though."

"And shred your jacket," Nino said, pulling his arm through a gigantic hole in the side of his formerly nice leather jacket, the frazzled ends singed and ripped.

"Great," he grumbled, raking his hand across his face. There went his plan to come home without telling his father. Gabriel will surely question why Adrien needed a new jacket. "Okay, can we... just," he gestured on and Marinette and Nino helped him stand on one very wobbly foot.

The world dissolved into vertigo and he had to close his eyes so as not to vomit in front of Marinette. Taking deep breaths to steady his stomach, he eventually managed to get his sense of up and down back.

As a plus, he wasn't twitching and shaking anymore. His side with the bandages was incredibly stiff and sore. He tried to put weight on his foot and found it wasn't that bad. When he only used the outer rim and his heel, he might be able to wobble home on his own.

"It's okay, guys, I think I can manage."

Both slowly pulled away, but he hadn't anticipated the vertigo when he moved. Leaning back on Nino, he pressed his hand against his mouth, tasting bile. "I told you, you gave him too much," he heard Luka for the first time since they were here.

"Maybe," Nino muttered and Marinette watched him in concern.

"He should stay somewhere," she suggested, "you can't go home like this."

Grumbling, Adrien lightly pushed himself off Nino, still careful to not use his right leg too much. But that only resulted in him tumbling into Marinette, who huffed and helped him stand properly. "Okay, you're coming home with me. There, you're gonna sleep a few hours and we'll sneak you back into Gouvernement when you can walk straight again," she mumbled and Adrien couldn't do anything more than agree.

Honestly, Adrien would have slept right here and now if he could. So anywhere where he _could_ sleep sounded wonderful. And crashing a night on Marinette's couch sounded awesome.

The three somehow manoeuvred him through the tunnels. He found that walking helped clear his head and he was able to walk without leaning on Marinette and Nino as heavily as he did before. But as good as the movement felt for his head, his side and foot were beginning to throb painfully. He couldn't wait to be at Marinette's house.

:

Sighing, he felt that his limbs were more relaxed, no pain and no throbbing. He didn't remember much of how he had managed to climb into Marinette's room, but he felt entirely comfortable. Who would have thought a couch could be this cozy? There was some warmth at his side, accompanied by rhythmic breathing.

Shifting his heavy head to the source, his breath hitched.

Marinette was sleeping soundly next to him, her head resting against his shoulder and her hair was mussed, strands coming out of her loose pigtails and fanning over her light skin, creating a stark contrast.

How-

Why...?

Glancing around, he found himself not on the small couch she kept in her room, but in her bed. With Marinette next to him. He needed a few seconds to process his situation. With a blush, he looked around.

There was a skylight above and he could see stars twinkling down at them. The wall to his left was covered in photographs of people he didn't know. He saw Marianne and some of the boys and girls he got to know in the Safe Zone. Many were of Marinette and Alya. But there was also one of him, one of the few photoshoots for ads he did for his father. She kept a photo of him next to her bed.

Gulping down a sudden bout of nerves, he could only focus on that, completely ignoring the fact that it may mean nothing.

The blush on his cheeks deepened and he breathed heavily. Glancing around once more, only to prevent his racing thoughts, his gaze quickly fell back to Marinette.

The moonlight made her hair shine silvery and her pale skin practically glowed. And she was right next to him, her soft breath ghosting over his neck. This time, there was a literal force that kept him locked to her.

What was up with him? You don't stare at a friend when they sleep. You don't marvel at their beauty, you don't cherish the sight as something beyond precious.

When his heart did a leap at the thought of waking up next to her more often, he first feared he was suffering worse damage than they had thought. But then it hit him like a brick.

Adrien had never been in love with anyone, had never felt the thrill and want of being close to someone. The feeling was alien, the ache of even imagining being apart a new pain. But when she was next to him, her breathing and warmth were more reassuring than he could have imagined. His inability to tear his gaze away and the want to be closer were speaking volumes.

He didn't just _like_ her. He had a massive and heavy crush on her.

Admitting it, even in his head, made him blush.

She was one of his very few friends! She was his partner! Adrien can't fall in love with her. Okay, she was stubborn and had the thickest head he could imagine. She was too quick to judge and was dangerously clever, absolutely stunningly beautiful, had a quick mind and was incredibly creative.

Groaning, he forced his head to turn back to the skylight. But then, she moaned his name in her sleep and, without him realizing, he was watching her again. He was such a creep.

Her brows furrowed in her sleep and he raised his hand, smoothing the crease between her brows. She relaxed and he smiled.

How could falling in love be bad when it felt so great to be close to someone? It was still weird and he felt bad for using her for his own comfort, but admitting it felt... right. His chest felt light, even giddy.

The idea to tell her got shot down immediately. He was her friend first and he wouldn't endanger this for anything. Even if it meant he had to suppress the urge to-

Well, what did he want to do? Kiss her?

Flicking his gaze down to her lips, he imagined pressing his own to hers. Warmth flushed into his stomach and he instantly rushed his gaze back to the ceiling. Yeah, maybe he wanted to kiss her.

"Adrien?" Marinette suddenly asked and he felt her shift against his shoulder.

"Hey, princess," he croaked. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," she murmured and sat up, his skin turned incredibly cold at the loss of contact. Shifting his gaze back to her, he noticed she had sat up partly, leaning on her elbow to hover over him. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he squeaked. Her hair was falling out of her damn pigtails, framing her face. The moonlight and her fringe created a shadow that covered half of her face, her skin had a magical glow to it. How could anyone be this beautiful?!

"Are you feeling better? Still dizzy?"

Yeah, because the most beautiful woman he knew was currently caressing his cheek, her soft finger- Gah, okay, back to focus.

"No, I'm fine," he choked, trying to distract himself. The alcohol may be the cause for his sudden urges.

"Good," she laughed and yawned. "You seem fine as well. But your face is all red, are you sure everything's all right?"

"Yep," he chirped, "Just a bit tired."

Marinette smiled and it made his heart stop. Maybe the stroke of lightning and the alcohol were not a good mix and messed with his head? That might be it. There's no way that he was suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed by her mere presence.

"Do you want to sleep some more? We could-?" she asked, gesturing downstairs, but Adrien instantly held her back.

"Can we... stay here for a while?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. No matter where those feelings came from, he didn't want her to leave him.

Marinette only giggled. "Sure thing, Chaton."

With a grin, he shimmied to his side, making more room on the mattress. Marinette blushed a bit, but settled down next to him, facing him.

"Try to sleep," she whispered. "I set the alarm earlier, it will wake us early enough so we can get you back home."

"I'm already home," he murmured, closing his eyes and placing his forehead against hers. He knew he shouldn't do this, friends aren't this close. But he couldn't help it. He wanted to have her close by his side.

That's when he noticed he indeed had _always_ wanted her close. Since that day in the rain, she was precious. Since he had saved her from that Akuma, he wanted to protect her, to have her with him where nothing can hurt her. That's why he always drew his arm around her shoulders. That's why he always felt proud when she cuddled into his side. That's why he always felt giddy when he got a whiff of the shampoo he had bought her.

His feelings were anything but sudden.

:

Eventually, January rolled around, the holidays came and went without a hitch. Alya still disliked Adrien for some reason and Marinette found herself between two stools. One the one side was Alya, her best friend and Marinette knew she had to support her. But on the other side was Adrien, who was _also_ a very special friend and she didn't want to decide between both.

Eventually, because Marinette always defended Adrien, Alya seemed to have decided to give Marinette the cold shoulder as well.

That resulted in very poor teamwork and Monsieur Dumanche was more than displeased.

Next to her troubles with her best friend, things got harder in the Safe Zone. Winter rolling around Paris full-force required new fabrics for blankets and clothing. Raids of warehouses of various fashion houses, including Adrien's father's, were necessary.

She told him he can stay out of those warehouses, but he refused. He was as much a part of everything as she was and if she had to break into his father's warehouse, then he was by her side.

He even managed to get the patrol routes from the guards sometimes. It was helpful, but she scolded him every time for that. It would attract unwanted attention if they knew too much about the Agreste houses.

They nearly managed to fall into another trap as well, it was only due to one of Adrien's new gadgets, some kind of sound amplifier, that they managed to uncover the officers waiting for their arrival.

They were extra careful after that, which made them slower.

Their bounty rose as well, Chat was boasting after his new poster was released. It concerned her, because they seemed to have caught Adrien's hair colour at some point. Blonde's were really rare in the Safe Zone and those few blondes were surely quick to be out-ruled.

Sure, they knew her hair colour as well, but they never managed to catch her, because, honestly, black hair was as common here as the fleas in some men's beards.

But after several raids without any problems, after several days in school without them being outed, she began to relax some more.

:

"There," Marinette smiled and examined the black leather between her fingers. It was of quite good quality and she was proud of her work. A few weeks ago, Adrien hadn't been able to come to a raid for some fabric and she had gone with Jaques, one of her friends in the Safe Zone.

The factory had been astoundingly empty, so the two had fooled around a bit. In one container, she had found genuine leather and was over the moon. Most of them were plain brown or grey, but one or two pieces had been black.

Instantly, Chat Noir had come to her mind. The last weeks were filled with him complaining, the hoodies he had worn were either too thin for the cold weather or too light so Chat had not been comfortable with them.

He had complained more than once that he missed his jacket.

So, seeing the few pieces of black, _genuine_ leather, she took them with her, a design already coming to her mind. When she came home that evening, she instantly went about sketching out what she wanted to do, the leather hiding deep in her closet until she was ready to use it.

She had never worked with leather before, but she had a feeling she'd manage.

So, she set to work, barely suppressing grins and delighted chuckles when Adrien complained in school or in the Safe Zone.

Working with the soft material had been harder than she thought and she had to improvise a few times because she had miscut something or destroyed edges altogether, because she had misjudged the thickness and flow of the fabric.

However, she eventually managed and the finished piece sat in her hands, ready to be delivered.

She was quite proud of her work too. The black leather ran smoothly across the chest and back, she had played with some stitching, enhancing the chest area and the pockets on his stomach with a dark grey shade of thread. There wasn't enough leather for the sleeves, so she made them out of normal, but warm, black fabric. The last scraps of the leather she had cut onto stripes and swirls and attached to the sides of the sleeves.

The upper part had been tricky. It was clear he needed a hood and kitty ears were a must-have. It had to be heavy to stay on his head even when he jumped through the Safe Zone. The leather would have been perfect, but she hadn't had enough and, aside from that, the leather would have been too stiff.

She was quite proud of her solution, the outer rim that would frame his face was made of leather, as well as a strip running orthogonally across his head, connecting to the back of the jacket. The rest was made of black fabric, as well as the inner lining so Adrien wouldn't freeze to death in winter. The sleeves were light enough that he could roll them up to his elbows in summer.

Giggling, she added the last detail to the jacket. Their neighbours owned a cat and she sometimes fed the calico when she saw the kitten in the alley behind their bakery. That cat however, wore a collar with a tiny bell.

Marinette loved that little accessory, so she found a bell the size of a strawberry and removed the ball inside that made the bell jingle. Now silent, she attached the accessory to the zipper.

She had made the jacket a bit larger than necessary, simply because she knew Adrien would grow a bit in the following years, or gain more muscles working in the Safe Zone. So the jacket would still fit in each case.

Carefully folding the jacket, she put some wrapping paper around it and hugged the present to her chest, squealing.

Adrien would _love_ the jacket.

That was if she'll manage to catch him before school began. Shrieking, because the next lesson after their lunch break began in only thirty minutes, she quickly hurried out of her parents bakery, careful to not tear anything.

It was Monday, so they had PhysEd next, perfect for Adrien to try out his new jacket. They were forced to wear the schools suits during PhysEd and MentEd, but most of the students wore accessories over top, like Marinette and Alya and most of the class had jackets, Nino always had some different coloured boots and even Alix, who never gave much thought to her appearance wore her cap and a tee with neon stripes above.

And now, Adrien could wear his new jacket.

Racing across the streets to her school, she only managed to arrive in time thanks to her Ladybug training. She even had a few minutes to spare, so Adrien could get his present.

That was until she raced into another person's back.

Both tumbled to the ground, Marinette scraped her knee on one of the steps and the parcel skidded across the floor. Groaning, she sat up and wanted to apologize, but the girl she had raced into began screeching.

"How dare you-!" she cried.

First, Marinette thought it had been Chloé, simply because she thought no one was able to cry that high. But this girl seemed to be throwing an even worse tantrum than the mayor's daughter. It was Lila Rossi.

She hadn't talked much to Lila yet, but Lila always seemed to be okay. The class liked her pretty well and she always distracted Chloé, so that was a plus on her side.

Now, however, she confused Marinette. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Are you hurt?"

The girl had a mad shadow surrounding her, glaring at her tights she was wearing.

"Oh," Lila suddenly chirped and flashed her a smile, the dark aura vanishing instantly. "Don't worry, I was just surprised. But what about you, are you hurt?" she asked, looking concerned at Marinette. Weird.

Humming, they quickly stood up and both said their apologies. Lila even gave her her parcel back and they parted, leaving Marinette with a weird feeling in her stomach. Her instincts were trying to warn her, but Lila seemed fine, seemed quite nice even.

She had to be careful though. Lila wasn't that powerful, but the class liked her. Something itched her the wrong way, she had to trust her instinctsl.

"Was that Lila?"

Screaming, she flinched around and promptly tripped over her feet and landed back on her behind on the floor.

"Wow, Mari, are you alright?" Nino asked and tried to help her back to her feet.

Flushing red in embarrassment, she took his helping hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Man, Nino, are you sneaking up on people on purpose?" she grumbled and dusted herself off, Adrien's jacket still tight in her arms.

Laughing, Nino simply shrugged. "It's not my fault you guys space out all the time. What do you have there? A present? For me?" he joked.

"No, I made Adrien a new jacket," she gushed. "But that aside, what do you know about Lila?"

Nino simply shrugged. "She's cool. She knows Jagged Stone and, due to her father's travels, she knows many directors. She wanted to introduce me to Steven Spielberg," he grinned. "Man, that would be so cool, he's like, my idol."

Humming, Marinette frowned. Something was wrong with Lila.

However, the warning bell rang and both exchanged a panicked glance and hurried off to the changing rooms, Marinette only parting from Nino as he promised not to tell Adrien about his present.

:

Adrien had changed into his suit and felt naked. Well, he wasn't naked, the suits were padded and armoured in all the functional places.

But he really missed his jacket. His father had designed it specially for him and, being the first and only present he had ever given him about a year ago, he had hung on it and hated that it was destroyed.

He felt naked without it. Especially in school where everyone had some kind of trinket on them. Even Max was wearing cool glasses that he had programmed to help him in combat by providing him with useful information about his opponent.

Huffing, he tugged at the suit's sleeve. He had nothing against the suits, but they were so... basic.

It was Marinette who drew him out of his inner mourning, skipping to him with a rather large parcel under her arms. She was grinning madly and was heading straight to him.

"Hey Mari, how was your lunch?" he asked, happily greeting her. He originally wanted to eat lunch with her, but Chloé had hogged his attention. Luckily, she often skipped PhysEd, thinking the subject to be useless.

"Busy," Marinette answered and pushed the parcel into his arms. "Open it."

"For me?" he asked, eyeing the paper warily. "Why?" he laughed, squishing it. It seemed to contain some sort of stiff, but smooth material.

"So that you can stop bugging me," she winked. "Now open it."

Laughing, mentally praising the pun, he tore at the paper. He didn't question the reasoning, Marinette often brought him sweets and the like. But this time, he felt it was special, simply because she went out of her way to wrap it (it was simple newspaper, but he appreciated the effort) and because it was definitely not sweets.

Adrien rarely got presents and he felt giddy.

When some black fabric greeted him, he was confused at first. It looked like leather. Why would Marinette give him leather? She laughed giddily, ushering him on. Tugging at the fabric, he saw it folding out into some sort of clothing.

A jacket to be precise. A gorgeous jacket.

"Mariiii," he gushed and turned it around in his hands. It was genuine leather, he could feel it between his fingers. The softness of the sleeves and the hood were running through his fingers, the designs and embroidery magnificent. There were no words to describe how _much_ he loved the cloth. And it had kitten ears and a golden bell!

"I pulled out the metal in the bell so it won't ring," she explained. "And I made it a bit larger, so it will still fit in a few years."

He won't lie, he had tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Mari, thank you!" he laughed and pulled her into a tight hug, twirling her around. "It's the best present I've ever gotten," he squealed and let her go, eager to try it on.

With a laugh, she helped him into the jacket and he eagerly zipped it up. The fabric was of a fine quality (no doubt about where she got it and he felt a _bit_ guilty about using stolen fabric, but he wasn't really complaining) and kept him perfectly warm. Like she said it was a bit too large, but he _had_ realized that the old jacket had been a bit too tight, he was still growing and was building muscles from his extracurriculars, so he had no doubt he'd grow into it in next to no time.

Giggling, he put the hood over his head and posed for Marinette. She smiled broadly at him and clapped. "It looks great on you. I'm glad."

"Thank you so much, Mari," he said and stepped closer. He wanted to be close to her. The jacket was comfortable and he was immensely grateful for that. "I can never repay you, you know that?"

"You don't have to," she smiled her gorgeous smile. Drawing his arms around her, he drew her into a tight hug. Her face was pressed against his neck, her arms snaking around his waist. Burying his nose into her hair, he really _had_ to repay it somehow. Even if it was never enough.

:

When Adrien got home that evening, he pulled the jacket back out of his backpack. Everyone had noticed his new jacket and he was proudly boasting about how Marinette was the designer behind the jacket, parading her around.

He may have laid everything on a bit thick, but she deserved all the praise in the world.

Laying the fabric out in front of him on his desk, he marvelled at the details. There were swirls and rectangular embroidery on the sleeves from his elbow to his shoulders, reminding him of his cataclysm. The work on the pockets and inner lining, as well as on the hood and sleeves were of fine quality and spoke volumes of the effort she put into them.

Picking it up and burying his nose into the fabric of the inner lining, he noticed it even smelled like her. Vanilla and the bakery, it was wonderful.

Surely even his father would be impressed.

An idea struck and he giddily sprung up from his seat. His father would love the design. He had to see it.

Quickly pulling it on again, he skipped out of his room and down the stairs. He practically flew to his father's atelier.

Knocking eagerly, he waited. But no answer came. Knocking again, a bit more calmly, he called his name, but again, no answer came.

Was he out?

Frowning, he glanced around. It was quite late, Adrien had had Chinese after school and normally, his father should be in his study by now. Maybe he was in the library? With new vigour, he ran across the house, but his father wasn't in the library either.

Luckily, Nathalie was in there, sorting some books.

"Nathalie? Do you know where Père is?"

"There was some problem at headquarters, he went to check when you had your lesson," she explained.

Glancing to his watch, Adrien noticed it was 10 p.m. "At this time?"

"Fashion knows no night, Adrien," Nathalie stated, but otherwise ignored him, still shifting through the books.

It made no sense to him, especially, because he _knew_ that his father cared immensely for his night time peace. He said he was most productive during night. Humming, Adrien simply dismissed it. It really must have been an emergency.

"Can you tell me when he's back? I have to show him something."

Nathalie nodded without looking at him. "I will, but you'll most likely be asleep by then."

Adrien retreated back into his room and got ready for bed, intend on showing the jacket next time he had the chance to. However, he didn't know it would be a while until he saw him next.

* * *

**Let me know whether you're interested in some concept art of their outfits :) The cover doesn't really show them, simply because they were not finished at the time.**

**Have a nice weekend** :)


	11. The Gangs of the Safe Zone

**Hey :) Sorry, for not updating last week, but I guess I should be able to update regularly again, I just had to fit the actual writing into my new semester's schedule. Anyway, Have fun with this chapter, we're nearly through with getting to know the universe!**

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** After successfully healig Adrien from a fatal blow in the Safe Zone, Marinette makes him a new jacket. Being overjoyed with his present, Adrien wants to show it to his father, but the man is gone.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Gangs of the Safe Zone

When Ladybug had told Chat that gifted kids were a lost cause in the Safe Zone, Chat had imagined something horrible, but never really expected it to be this bad. His parents raised him with fantastic stories of kids that found new families in Moyenne – never in Gouvernement – and were being raised above the chaos of the Safe Zone, where they could have never even attended school.

But, like all these stories he was raised with, this one was a bit... different.

He was sitting with Ladybug on a rooftop, eating some sweets she bought somewhere. Ladybug was in the middle of telling him a cute anecdote how one of her friends once nearly choked on one of those chewy, chocolatey sweets while Chat stuffed his mouth with them, savouring the sugar rushing through his system.

That was until a scream broke through the night air.

They exchanged a glance and instantly dropped everything, rushing towards the sound. Soon, Chat was able to make out how a woman was pleading, screaming for mercy. Fearing it was anther rape, he sped up, trying to be faster than the thugs that were harassing them.

Until he arrived and red light reflected off the surrounding buildings. Confused, he glanced down into the alley below and instantly crouched low, pressing his stomach to the roof he stood on.

The alley was flooded with police officers, three holding a crying and screaming woman back, four or five men stood in a circle around a little girl. The girl may be around four or five years old, wailing and crying. She was definitely scared and held her hands in front of her, threatening the officers.

Well, threatening was maybe a stretch, her palms merely smoked, did nothing of serious danger. The officers were talking to her, trying to calm her without coming too close.

"It's awful," Ladybug suddenly murmured next to him.

Aside from the scared girl and the screaming mother, he really didn't see anything of concern. The child would be taken away from her family, but he still believed the children with powers that were taken from their families got somewhere better.

Sure, it's awful when a child got taken from their family, that definitely explains the reaction, but aside from that... the officers seemed to be nice, talking to the girl kindly, the officers holding the mother weren't hurting her and were trying to usher her back into the house. They didn't seem threatening. At all. And the girl will eventually get to a family better suited for her.

The only horrible thing were the mother's screams.

But he knew Ladybug had another view on the things, so he held his comment back and merely watched.

The officers seemed to be nice enough, a woman was quietly talking to the girl, who had somewhat calmed down, and was slowly drawing closer to the child, distracting her from the crying and pleading mother. She kept calling the girl's name. Julie.

Eventually, the girl stopped crying and put her hands down. The officer gently scooped her up and bounced her on her hip, Julie was even laughing. By now, the mother had broken down, sobbing and praying, calling Julie over and over again. The officers holding her carried her back into the house, the woman with the child walking to the car. The surrounding officers relaxed and followed them.

He noticed that one man, standing by the police car, pulled out a collar and, with the female officer holding the child, put the collar onto Julie's neck. Together, they climbed into the car and drove off.

"What was that?"

"Children who develop powers are taken away," Ladybug explained and stood back up. "They get carried away to the labs."

"The Laboratories of Human Research and Development?"

Humming, Ladybug shrugged her shoulders. "We're unable to break into their warehouses, even coming close is extremely dangerous for everyone with any power. They have some kind of early warning system and whenever one comes close, there is an entire army waiting, ready to catch you as well."

They were silent for a few seconds, watching the red lights disappear in the distance.

"Come on, Chat," Ladybug murmured. "Let's go back. We can't do anything here."

Humming, Chat stood up and stretched. Somehow, he had imagined worse. It didn't seem too bad.

:

Chat Noir trudged through the catacombs on his own.

Christmas came and went without a hitch, he had had some quality time with Marinette and her family over the holidays and managed to convince Nathalie to lighten his schedule until the new year. And he still didn't see his father. But he didn't worry too much about his absence, it wasn't anything unusual after all.

Now, however, he was freezing and lonely.

Marinette had insisted that she needed to catch up on some sleep and refused to accompany him tonight. But she had said that Marianne needed some help tonight and he should go without her.

Sure, he loved the freedom of the Safe Zone, the wind in his hair when he jumped over the rooftops, but he had never been there without Ladybug.

He knew Marianne by now, she often fed him with some glorious rice-pudding, but it was always with Marinette as a safety net. Would he even manage without her? He knew where most of the things were by now, but he still rarely talked to the people or the group.

Chat knew it was dumb of him to worry. He was perfectly capable of maneuvering most of the streets and he knew which areas to evade. He knew perfectly well what to do and what to let be. Ladybug had shown him that much.

However, it was weird to be left alone, to be out on his own.

With a sigh, he reached the ladder leading up to Marianne's and shone with his flashlight to the wood. Normally, Ladybug would be the one to climb through first. Grumbling, he hoisted himself up, closed the light and knocked against the wood.

Marianne opened and Adrien flashed her a charming smile. "Someone called?"

"Adrien?" Marianne laughed and let him inside. "Where's Marinette?"

"Busy," Adrien shrugged. "Something came up, but," he bowed deeply, "this cat is at your service."

Marianne giggled. "Okay, if you think so, come on, over here, I'll explain it to you. Did Marinette say anything?"

"Not really."

"Okay, has Marinette ever shown you around the gangs?" Marianne asked further and again, Adrien shook his head. "Alright," Marianne huffed, "Then you need someone to show you around. Alya should be back any second."

"Alya?" Adrien felt uncomfortable around the fierce girl. Sure, she was Marinette's best friend, but... she didn't like him much.

"Alya's our to-go girl about the gangs, she's just brilliant in dealing with them. I know that Mari's always a bit hesitant, she's not really a social butterfly, you know? But Alya's awesome. She knows all the ropes and you're friends, right?"

Nodding uncomfortably, he looked around the cramped room. There was a constant flow of teenagers, he never saw one face two times and the kids varied from round twelve or thirteen, to their age, and into the early twenties.

"Don't worry," Marianne chirped and clapped Adrien's shoulder. "The thugs around here are not as bad. And with Alya by your side, you don't have to fear anything."

It wasn't the criminals that worried him.

Suddenly, the door leading outside banged open, crashing to the wall and letting dust rain down from various spaces of the roof. "Guess who talked to Igor the Barbarian!" a loud voice called, Adrien instantly recognized as Alya. "And guess who talked him into dealing with the Russians!"

"Lena?" some guy called.

"Maybe Stephan?" another laughed.

Alya, still standing in the doorway, sulked. "Oh, very funny, guys."

Some laughed and even Adrien couldn't suppress a giggle. Only Marianne excitedly skipped towards the brunette. "Is it true? Will Igor talk to Vladimir?"

"Yeah," Alya sang and flounced into the room, making a show of gesticulating flamboyantly along with her story. "After months and hours spent with the Vikings, chugging horrible mead and barbecue of rats I gained the trust of his accountant. A greasy guy called Herman. Herman the greasy bookkeeper though, was hard to crack. He and- hey, is Mari here?"

She interrupted her story after laying her eyes on Adrien.

"Eh, no," Adrien answered, "She's catching up on some sleep."

"Oh, bummer," Alya frowned and quickly continued her story of her glorious 'defeat' of Igor the Barbarian.

Adrien stood to the side, merely listening, but already looking forward to walking around with Alya. The story she told, about sitting and drinking with thugs should have concerned him, but he felt excitement running through his veins.

He had yet to see those 'awful' criminals, Mari told him about, but, the way Alya described them, they seemed to be alright. And maybe he would be able to bond with the girl some more, so maybe, he'd be able to get to the root of her dislike of him.

Eventually, Alya managed to finish her story, and everyone present was hanging on her words. Adrien noted that Alya was quite good in telling stories. She made dramatic pauses in all the right places and skipped boring parts and enhanced the exciting pieces. It was fun listening to her.

Naturally, he had no doubt his evening would be just as funny. However, as soon as Marianne told her their next mission, Alya's mood darkened.

"There's a problem between the Germans and the Chinese," Marianne explained, "Liu is buying buildings in the neutral zone and Kaiser is feeling threatened. He reached out to us this afternoon, said it was urgent. I wanted to send Mari and Adrien here, because you were still busy with the Norse, but now you're here, you think you can show Adrien the ropes?"

Alya was frowning in his direction. "The Chinese are really normally Mari's responsibility," she murmured.

"I can speak Chinese, though," Adrien chimed in, but retreated when both Marianne and Alya regarded him with confused and shocked gazes. "May... that help?"

"Actually, yes," Marianne grinned. "Then that's settled. Alya, show Adrien around and Adrien, you talk to the Chinese about not hurting the peace. Great. Have fun!" she laughed and pushed Alya to him, before ducking further into the groups mingling in her apartment.

Adrien grinned at Alya bashfully, but she only huffed and went straight back out of the apartment. Without knowing what to do, he followed her.

But instead of heading to the roof, like he always did with Mari, Alya was heading to the street. _The _street. With the disgusting smells and people.

"Eh, Alya-"

"Rena Rouge!" she called over her shoulder without stopping.

"Okay, Rena, Why are we-"

"Okay, stop that," Rena hissed and stopped on the stairs, turning around and fixing him with a stern gaze. "First of all, it's Rena _Rouge. _I know Ladybug always gives you the mushy treatment, but don't expect that with me, okay? These gangs out there are dangerous. No matter what Ladybug has shown you, the people out there _need_ our help to keep the gangs in order or street fights are going to make life even more hell than it already is.

"So, when I tell you to stop, you stop. When I tell you to talk, you talk. When I tell you to shut the fuck up, then you...?"

"Shut up?" Chat finished her sentence, slightly intimidated.

"You shut the fuck up," Rena _Rouge_ repeated. "That's right. One mistake out there and I could lose my entire connection, d'accord?"

"Oui," Chat murmured, nodding. This seemed to satisfy her, so she turned back around and climbed further down the stairs. "But why aren't we taking the rooftops?"

Huffing, she stopped again, looking at him like he was mad. "You can't just walk over people's houses all the time," Rena Rouge scolded him. "What would you say if you had the crappiest apartment ever, fearing that it would collapse on his own, but then people are running on your roof all the time. And during night time, when you just want to sleep and some teenagers are running over your head?"

Okay, Rena had a point there. He had never really considered that he was bothering people.

"I know Ladybug likes to do that," Rena Rouge continued, "But that's an awful habit, really."

"Sorry," he mumbled and quickly followed her. Alya really was a girl you didn't mess with. No wonder she was so comfortable with criminals. Along with the fighting he had seen from her so far, he would never ever question her abilities again.

Alya was a strong girl, a girl you don't mess with.

And he suddenly feared for his life, because she didn't like him. Who knows what she would be able to do to him. And no one would know, because _she_ knew people who could easily make a corpse vanish.

So, like the puppy he wasn't, he trotted after her, trying to ignore the shivers of disgust running down his spine as they moved through the masses of the Safe Zone.

He was just lucky Alya had chosen such a vibrant colour as orange, so he easily found her back when he had lost her. Walking through the streets and alleys was tiring and _so_ much slower than via rooftops.

At some point he lost his sense of direction. The houses all looked the same, the people were the same. The smells were the only things that changed.

Luckily, Rena Rouge seemed to know where they were heading, she steered them through even the darkest and smallest alleys, sure of their path. They even passed a few criminals and Alya seemed to know them, greeting them happily, either exchanging a few quick words or simply nodding and waving at them.

She never introduced him, which kinda left him out of the loop, but he quickly got used to that behaviour. He had a feeling he was merely shadowing her tonight.

Eventually, they stepped into a yard, barely lit with the few still functioning lamps. It was mainly illuminated by a huge, pink neon sign that read _Bar_. Creative.

Some people stood around the yard and from inside came some music.

Rena Rouge steered to the entrance, a thick wooden entrance that was clearly not from the Safe Zone. It had some, long faded ornaments and carvings. Chat wasn't certain whether they were even allowed to enter, but that didn't seem to bother Rena, for she was already slipping inside.

Quickly hurrying after her, he heaved the door open and was greeted with a warm wall of smoke and loud chatter. Inside were so many people, and his eyes had to get used to all the smoke and the low light, he barely managed to get his bearings, let alone find Alya again, when someone pulled at his jacket. His hood was pulled off and he yelped, helplessly being pushed to a wall.

"Was machst du hier, Kleiner?" a giant of a man asked him. He had short, fair brown hair and he seemed to love training, because his back was maybe twice as big as Chat's own. "Was soll die Maske?" The man seemed to be confused, but Chat had literally no clue what he was supposed to do. He never really interacted with the people.

"Eh, sorry, but I was just... following a friend and she, eh," he tried to explain and tuck his hood back over his head, but the face of the man only darkened.

"You're not from here," the man stated, his voice gruff and hard.

Gulping, Adrien shrugged. "Kinda- ah!" Someone lifted him from behind, again at the nape of his jacket. The hood fell into his face this time, so he was left in darkness, struggling in the hold of the unknown bulk that was able to lift him up.

Adrien was by no means tiny. He was even quite tall for his age, healthy and with muscles. It wasn't that easy to lift him simply by his jacket, but somehow, the brute that held him managed to lift him completely from the ground. His feet flailing in the air, he tried to grab the wrist of the man, either so he could keep himself from falling harshly to the floor should he decide to drop him, or prevent his new jacket from ripping. Or he could backflip him. That was an option too.

However, Chat was flailing helplessly in the man's grip. "Marianne send me!" he squealed, "I came with Rena Rouge!"

He flailed a few seconds more, but then, he suddenly felt the floor back under his feet. He had enough time to pull his jacket back down his stomach, so he could see again, when he was forcefully turned around and found himself facing an incredibly scary man.

Gulping down a scream, because he felt he had humiliated himself enough for one evening, he uttered a simple "Hey."

The man, that might be twice as tall as the first man had stubby blond hair and a darker stubble around his fierce chin. His facial skin was scarred and had bulky patches in places where none should be.

"Marianne send you?" he asked again and Chat simply nodded.

"I came with Rena Rouge."

"What's with the mask?"

"Precaution," he muttered, self consciously tugging at one corner that had become jostled.

"Wait!" someone else suddenly called and he was again pulled roughly to face another guy, but he thanked the stars that he was quite normal looking. Normal height, brown hair that fell in his eyes. "I know you, you're that cat burglar, right? You walk around with Ladybug?"

"Chat Noir. At your service?"

"Oh, that's great!" Buff number one laughed, "Frank wanted to thank one of you for forever now!"

Buff number two, who was obviously named Frank turned at his shoulders again, so he was face to face with him. Frank took his hand and vigorously shook it. "Thank you so much for what you two do! Last month, you got some medicine that saved my daughter. And without your blankets, we would have died of cold by now."

"You're welcome," he grinned, but was instantly ripped away from him, by Buff number one, who heaved him onto a nearby table.

The occupants of that table looked quite irritated, one even drew a knife and were eyeing him, as if he had done that on his own accord.

"Hey, Leute!" Buff number one called and the entire bar fell silent in a matter of seconds. It made him entirely uncomfortable, because the entire bar was looking at him. "Greet Chat Noir, one of the saviours of the Safe Zone!"

The next ten or so minutes were absolute chaos. He got introduced to the entire bar, most of them merely shaking his hands and thanking him. He learned that buff number one was called Martin. He and Frank introduced him to Dominic, Jamie, Detlef, Pan and Lars. He learned that Alisa, Jamie's wife was pregnant with their third child and that Bertha, Detlef's sister, was about to marry Pan.

Summed up, he got to know the entire bar (the people that mattered obviously) and was able to only memorize maybe a third of the info he got. But he tried to remember everything, no one knew how helpful this might be some day, even though he doubted that it mattered anyway.

He soon was dragged in front of a gigantic glass of beer. They called it a _Maß_ [ma:s] and even though he didn't know how many litres were inside, he grinned and took his first gulp of beer. He was kind of forced to drink it anyway.

Beer had a funny taste. It was kind of sweet, but also pretty bitter and raw. But you didn't taste the alcohol as much as you did with wine. It took some getting used to, but it wasn't exceptionally bad.

And when Detlef told him that his wife brewed it herself, with the recipe of their grandmother that had immigrated to Paris in the early stages of the war, he congratulated him on the taste. He wouldn't know the difference anyway.

He was on his second Maß and slightly dizzy when Rena Rouge squeezed herself into the knot of men surrounding his table.

"Chat...?! What happened?!"

"Frank and Martin showed me around," he grinned and high-fived Martin. "Then Pan and Sophie and Lars were showing me pictures and – have you ever tried Detlefs beer? It's the best I ever tasted," he laughed and Detlef clapped him on his shoulder. "Then we kinda ran into an argument about wine, but I think Lisa won that quite smoothly, but Christian brought some cards afterwards and I kinda – what?"

Rena watched him like he had grown a second head or something, because her eyes were comically wide and were flickering between him and the guys laughing and talking at the table.

"Rena Rouge!" Frank suddenly yelled "If you would have told us you were friends with Chat Noir, we could've arranged something way sooner with the Rue de Printemps."

"Really?" she asked, her face going pale.

"Yeah!" Frank called, throwing his bulky arm around Chat's frame. "Every friend of Chat Noir and Ladybug is my friend as well. Chat Noir, you'll be always be welcomed with us."

The rest of the table were saying cheers and were chugging down some of their beer, so Chat mirrored them. "Danke!" he called, proud of the few words of German he had learned during his time with the German men.

However, Alya tugged at his sleeve, gesturing to the door. "We have to go, talk to people."

"Aw," Chat pouted, but quickly addressed his new friends again. "I have to go, guys, business, you know?"

He got merrily seen off by the many people he got to know that evening, until Rena pulled him out of the door.

The fresh air did wonders for his lungs, eyes, and head. He noticed he got quite dizzy back there, the warmth and the alcohol, together with the smoke had been a dangerous concoction. However, he'd had fun. Aside from that more than embarrassing beginning.

"Chat, pull your hood back up," Rena scolded him, but it didn't seem to have as much malice as it had before.

Chat, not having noticed that it had come off again, quickly hid his blond hair again and followed her down some streets.

Eventually, Rena began to talk to him. "Okay, golden boy, I know you had some fun in there, but some of us have to work and I'm not going to be the only one talking with Liu. I talked to Ludwig Kaiser there, he's the head of the German Bulldogs. Frank is his brother and second."

She muttered something else, but it was lost to him.

"However, we're leaving the German zone, heading to the Dragons, the Chinese group of the Safe Zone. Their Leader Liu Feng is buying buildings in the neutral Zone between both groups. To keep them from fighting each other, we have to find out why Liu is buying the buildings in the first place and maybe negotiate. You think you can manage?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm watching father do that all the time, but why would they fight, simply because someone's buying buildings?" he asked, quite confused.

Adrien had heard from Marinette that there were several gangs in the Safe Zone. They had special names and mostly kept to themselves. Since most of the inhabitants of the Zone were refugees, they tended to self-sort by heritage. Some murdered and stole, others were quite peaceful.

"Well, the balance in the Safe Zone is fragile. The groups are always fighting each other. I haven't seen it yet, but Marianne told me stories that there were actual wars going on, innocent people died. Sometime in the eighties, the group decided to intervene and negotiate. They parcelled the Safe Zone between the gangs, creating neutral borders in between. People that don't want to or can't belong to one of the groups live in the neutral zones," she explained.

Humming, Chat let that information run through his head. "And Liu, the head of the Chinese group is hurting the neutral zone between them and the Germans?"

"Yes," Rena nodded. "Heinrich told me that his patrols came up with Chinese men threatening people to sell their houses, it seems. We have to talk to them and remind them of the peace."

Somehow, the 'remind them' sounded much more violent than it should have. But for now, he kept his mouth shut.

They walked again in silence, while Rena Rouge lead the way and Chat merely trotted behind. The only change he really noticed around him, when they were supposed to step into the Chinese district, was the increasing amount of asian people.

He also noticed they were nearing the restaurant run by Marinette's family. "Isn't Uncle Cheng's and Fu's restaurant close by?" he asked, glancing around. He knew the area, of course, but being down in the alleys was muddling his orientation.

"Jup," Rena nodded. "Fu and Cheng aren't really part of the Dragons, but it's common to be under the protection of your people. We're nearly there, by the way."

Humming, Chat followed closely. He wondered whether the Chinese are as merry as the Germans were.

However, when they arrived at a small house, he instantly saw the difference. The house was a small tea shop, but unlike the other shops in that area, it was quite calm. There were no open doors to welcome customers, no signs that showed that they were even open.

Rena Rouge however, immediately went to the front and entered. Chat followed.

It was dim inside, the smoke and smell from incense sticks filled the air. There were tables scattered around the customer's area and a soft murmur filled the space in between.

The dim light and the smells, along with the alcohol he had drunken earlier made Chat's head fuzzy. Huffing, Chat quickly followed Rena who ducked between the customers, careful to not bump against a table or chair. That would be embarrassing.

"May I help you?" a voice from the side addressed them and Rena turned to the man. He was quite small, not as small as Fu, but he barely reached Chats shoulders. His blackish hair was cut in a neat bob, with silver strands threaded throughout.

"I am Rena Rouge and this is Chat Noir," Rena introduced them and Chat quickly bowed to show some respect. "We came to speak with Liu Feng about some business."

"The Shifu is already awaiting your arrival," The man bowed and stepped aside, showing them a small door that lead to a private room.

"Thank you," Rena nodded and stepped ahead. Sighing, Adrien quickly tried to remember anything he had learned with his father's business partners in China. Be polite, not too much eye contact, not too direct accusations. He had once watched his father negotiate with a fabric supplier in Hong Kong. That man had sold him inferior fabrics, but Gabriel didn't want to lose him as a supplier.

Basically, you had to be everything Alya was not.

And Chat had the feeling the Chinese men were not as merry as the Germans were. With a gulp, he quickly caught up to Rena and held her back, grabbing her arm. "You know how to talk to them, right?"

"Of course!" Rena hissed, but Chat heard the reluctance in her voice. "It's just-" she murmured, avoiding her gaze, "They don't like me very much."

Sighing, Chat glanced around the shop. The Chinese men seemed to be very calm and collected. Maybe, if he imitated his father, he might manage? Sure, acting like his father let goosebumps run over his arms and he had to suppress the urge to shiver.

"Let me handle that, I always watched my father talk to his Chinese partners."

"Let you handle them?!" Rena hissed, "Why the hell should I let a newbie handle the Dragons?!"

"Because I am the only one who knows the Chinese traditions at least a bit?" he talked back and Rena looked hurt. "You may be better with bulky Vikings, Germans or whatever, but I have the feeling that some more finesse is needed right now."

Ripping her arm from his grip, she huffed. "Fine," she spat, "Let's see how you handle that."

Stomping to the door, he had to hold her back again and threw her an annoyed glance. "Keep your act together! I don't know what your problem with Adrien is, but that has nothing to do with the Safe Zone," he hissed and gently shoved her away from the door. "This has nothing to do with us."

Without waiting for an answer, he gently knocked on the door and slid it to the side, entering first. "Ni hao, Liu shifu," Adrien said, dropping his gaze to the floor and nodding his head in a respectable manner. He had barely ever interacted with his father's partners eye to eye, but he was quite confident that he knew the tropes from his numerous lessons and sit-ins.

After raising his gaze, he glanced around the dimly lit room. There were only three men inside, sitting on one side of a round table. "Wo jiao Chat Noir," Chat introduced himself and turned to Rena. "And you know Rena Rouge. We came because we wanted to make a suggestion and hoped that you could spare us some time."

Liu gestured to the side of the table directly in front of them. "You know how to speak well, young man."

"Xie xie," Chat smiled and sat down, Rena mirroring his movements, surprisingly without saying a word.

The three men sitting opposite of them were regarding them carefully. The man in the middle, their leader, Liu Feng was an elderly man. His skin was wrinkled and his eyes sat in dark sockets. He smiled, but his eyes were lifeless. Chat knew this expression. Calculating. His father wore that all the time.

The other men at his left and right looked quite similar, dark suits, dark faces.

The one on Liu's right bent low and whispered something into Liu's ear. Liu simply nodded and turned back to Chat and Rena. "I believe we all know why you two are here. Do you want some tea?"

"Yes, please," Chat nodded and smiled gently, accepting the cup a maid set in front of him.

They talked for over an hour. It was exhausting to smile all the time and he had to hold Rena back several times, but in the end, after all the pleasantries and schmoozing, they managed to get some information out of them.

Liu was buying the houses because his 'family' needed the added space. Chat doubted that it was really a family matter, but they had to remind him several times that he was hurting the neutral zone with his actions.

In the end, Liu promised that he wouldn't buy any more houses.

"What will happen if they don't stop the purchases?" Chat asked Rena when they exited the shop. He really enjoyed the fresh air and took a deep breath.

"The Bulldogs would want some compensation. Either money, services or rights in the neutral zone. If the Dragons don't complying, we have to take a different, more violent approach, but then, it won't be my problem." Alya grumbled.

She regarded him for a few seconds while Chat avoided her gaze. Appearing to be thoughtful, he tried not to fidget. He had been quite rude in there, and just wanted to apologize, when Rena suddenly turned around.

"Till Monday," she simply said and was gone in a flash, slipping into the masses and vanishing.

With a huff, Chat glanced around. What was he supposed to do now? The night was still young and he didn't want to go home yet. So he trudged through the streets on his own.

After an hour on his own, he had already visited Marinette's uncle's restaurant, bantered with Tikki and Plagg, been ushered out because they were busy, gotten himself some sweets and had lounged on some rooftops until he was bored. He was halfway considering going home anyway, but it was still early and he didn't really feel like being Adrien again.

So he wandered around.


	12. The Laboratories of Human Research

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** Chat Noir visited the Safe Zone with Rena Rouge and got to know some of the gangs. Now, he's on his own...

* * *

Chapter 12: The Laboratories of Human Research

Chat Noir ate some food from vendors he met (paid, of course), talked to some guys who were trying to rob a boy around his age.

Then, he wandered some more, until he walked around a corner and collided with a guy.

"Oh, sorry," he instantly apologized, but was put off, when he saw a familiar face. "Nino! What are you doing here?"

His best friend seemed startled first, but quickly drew him into a manly hug. "Bro!"

Laughing, they separated. "I was just heading to a gig, but what are _you_ doing here? Where's Ladybug?"

"Catching up on sleep," Chat shrugged and walked with Nino back to where he came from. "Can I come with you? I'm kinda bored, Rena ditched me and I don't know what to do with the rest of the evening."

"Sure!" Nino smiled. "I always wanted to show you one of my parties. I have to work though, so you have to entertain yourself."

"I think I'll manage," Chat grinned.

They talked and joked on the way to a general warehouse. Nino, or the Bubbler, how he wished to be called in the Safe Zone, wore a brightly coloured costume. It was weird, because Chat knew him and his light green jacket from school. Bubbler explained that it was a precaution. He knew many people and was quite famous, should anyone see him in school or somewhere, they would instantly draw the connection.

Chat slightly wondered whether it would be wise to invest in another jacket for him and Ladybug as well. The details gleaned about their appearance grew with each raid. And because of their bounty, they were _bound_ to be found out one day.

Anyway, Bubbler also explained the logistics of his parties. They were always held at random places, warehouses, factories and sometimes even normal houses. Anything with an underground cellar was fitting. Some were more secure than others, because of second entrances and such, where they could flee should the police decide to raid the location.

They had a whole list of spots, everything top secret of course and every gang was providing them with security and alcohol. For them, it meant making money at the entrance, and at the bar.

Sure, the organizers were another group on their own, Bubbler didn't work with Marianne, and they had their own security, like Luka (whose nickname was Silence, Chat learned, because Luka was that good with keeping secrets), but they generally accepted the help of most of the gangs. It was a strict rule to not attack other gang members, so most of the parties were held in either neutral zones or close to the borders.

This time, the Russians sponsored the gig.

Adrien used that moment to tell him about his evening and how he was generally accepted by the Germans, the Bulldogs. But Bubbler seemed to be shocked.

"Wow, dude, okay, I knew Rena was mingling with the gangs, but I would have never anticipated that from you."

Taken aback, Chat huffed. "Why?"

"Well, Rena has the guts, you know?" he simply shrugged. "And you're... innocent."

"Innocent?"

"Well," he squirmed, clearly uncomfortable. "You're nice and such. You wouldn't really hurt a fly." After seeing Chat's confused expression, he quickly added, "That's not a bad thing, but with your home being, you know where, you're not the gang-guy, you know? You're not _bad._"

Somehow, that rubbed him the wrong way. The people he had met today, well except of some guys from the Dragons, they had all been really nice to him. The Germans even welcomed him and gave him free booze. They had been kind and friendly. A bit on the rougher side of friendly, but you could get used to it.

"They are not _bad_, you know? These are people with families and homes. They may be a bit... special sometimes, but they are nice."

"To you," Bubbler countered. "And that's just underlining my statement. You can't see the danger. What do you think they would do if someone threatened one of their kind? These people are dangerous, especially those that you were hanging around today."

Chat got the impression that Bubbler had had some less than pleasant experiences with them. But Chat dropped the subject, knowing he was talking against a wall when he was arguing with him about them.

"We're there," Bubbler eventually hummed and stopped next to a door, knocking a pattern against the wood. "If you want, I can show you every weeks password," he offered and led them inside when someone opened the door.

He didn't know the teen behind, but Bubbler simply hurried onwards, so Chat followed. Bubbler showed him around, a few people were already running around, preparing the stage and bar, wiping the floor and hanging up decorations and lights. It was by no means festive, and by no means comparable to the parties he knew from Gouvernement.

The decorations were cheap and full of glitter and such, but it looked nice and everything reflected the light merrily and as soon as the first guests arrived and Bubbler began to play his songs, the atmosphere got heated and Chat found himself dancing to the beats.

There were people all around him and he may have had a few more drinks, so the entire journey home a few hours later was kinda fuzzy. He knew Nino helped him to crawl back to Gouvernement, but everything after that was mushy. He just knew he woke up the next morning with a massive headache.

:

"How was your weekend? Haven't heard of you," Marinette asked Monday morning.

Their teachers had organized an excursion to the Laboratories of Human Research. Their entire grade was currently on their way to the station, so the train could take them into the Safe Zone. Adrien was quite giddy to see the laboratories from inside, Marinette on the other hand was queasy and searched for some distraction.

Adrien, however, was a bit embarrassed.

"Well," he laughed, rubbing his neck. "I slept until midday and had a lesson in the afternoon, it was nothing, really."

Nino snorted next to him and Adrien elbowed him.

Marinette noticed their exchange, but ignored it it with a frown. "Okay, but I had expected to hear how your Saturday was? It was your first time alone."

This time, Nino laughed. "Oh, Adrien had so much fun!"

"Shut up," Adrien hissed with reddened cheeks. He wasn't really proud of his behaviour and Marinette did _not_ need to know that he danced with some girls at Nino's party after drinking a bit too much.

"What happened?" Marinette asked instead.

"Nothing serious," Adrien intervened before Nino could say anything else. "I was away with Alya some bit and met Nino afterwards who brought me to one of his parties. It was fun, but nothing serious happened."

Humming, Marinette frowned. "Alya told me that you went together, but without details."

"I can tell you later," Adrien offered, averting his gaze again. "It really was nothing special. I made a few more friends though."

"That's nice," Marinette hummed and hooked her arm under his.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Nino falling back to talk to Max about something.

"It's also nice that Chloé decided to stay home," she added.

Laughing, Adrien nodded and bumped his hip against her's. "She's not really interested in Akumas or gifts in general."

"She's not interested in anything that's not her," Marinette rebutted. "And I think it's not because of the labs, but more the destination. She refuses to go into the Safe Zone," she huffed. "The Queen is not interested in any peasants."

"That might be true," Adrien shrugged. "But only because she doesn't know anything about them."

"And do you think she would change if she knew? I believe she would avoid them even more."

"Maybe," Adrien hummed and glanced at Marinette. She wore that cute little frown she always wore when she was irritated or confused.

Pulling her arm a bit closer, Adrien relished in her warmth at his side. It was comfortable and he liked having her there. It was as close to holding her hand as he dared to try.

Speaking of Chloé, he didn't even try to compare the two girls. Even though Chloé approached him like that quite often, the walk always seemed to be forced or quite formal with her, nails digging into his arms, a strong perfume penetrating his nose. But Marinette was soft, warm and smelled good. With Marinette, it felt _right._

Okay, he was quite certain that his feeling towards the bluenette were influencing his opinion massively, but he definitely didn't complain.

Quite soon, they arrived at the station and boarded the train. Marinette got snatched away from his side by Alya and Mylène and Adrien settled to talk to Kim and Alix. The two were bantering about some bet, Kim proclaimed that they had living Akuma in the labs and he was certain he could outrun one.

Max joined them and tried to talk Kim out of setting one free just to race it. That along with a snickering Alix and an exasperated Nino kept him entertained the entire ride.

When they arrived at the laboratories, they got parted into their respective classes and every class got a guide assigned. The guide explained the ins and outs to them. They had to go through a metal detector and got their visitor passes.

The entrance hall of the Laboratories of Human Research was a spacious place with high windows that let a lot of light inside. The walls were painted white with joyful posters and the greyish floor was polished so Adrien could see his reflection grinning up at him. The air was filled with chatter from their classes and smelled like antiseptic. It reminded Adrien of a hospital.

It actually was a hospital of some sort. Whenever people had problems with their gift, they turned to the Laboratories of Human Research. A gift was based on the psychological state of one person. So it could flicker or waver, even getting lost, or they could brandish out, getting too strong to handle. That often resulted in a migraine or, depending on the person's gift, another sort of illness.

The Laboratories specialized in these sort of problems.

Adrien knew, they were taking children from the Safe Zone as well. Whether those kids were sedated and tested, or being sorted into new families was still unclear to him. He refused to believe those people, the _doctors_ would do anything to harm civilians.

"Alright," their guide, Marc Bilage called and led them to the side, a bit away from the other classes so he could talk to them properly. "Today, we're going to take a tour through our laboratories. I have to remind you not to touch anything and not to talk to the personnel or patients."

The class nodded and their tour began.

Most of the stuff was boring and Adrien kind of spaced out. He had already learned about gifts and the biology behind it during his homeschooling. There was some kind of special DNA sequence that got inherited and according to how it got placed, your power is based on some element.

It got interesting when they were able to do a quick test that was still in development. It was only able to tell you whether you had a gift or not. Naturally, when their guide tested Rose's blood, it showed a positive result and Adrien listened intently on how that worked.

He noticed that Marinette was kind of nervous though. She always glanced left and right and was whispering intently with Alya. Madame Bustier even had to reprimand them a few times.

"Are you alright?" Adrien whispered to her when they moved to the next lab.

Humming, Marinette glanced around. "Honestly? No." She huffed and pulled at one of her pigtails. "Do you have any clue what those tests could mean for the Safe Zone? Expecting women barely go to see any doctors anyway, for fear of the police that are 'protecting' the hospitals. What do you think they would do if the doctors test the newborns and take them away, only because of a positive result?"

Frowning, Adrien glanced back to the lab. "They won't see any doctor at all."

"Exactly," she huffed. "This is really awful and-"

"Okay!" their guide interrupted their conversation. "Now we're through the first part. The Laboratories of Human Research is not only here to explore your gifts, but also to search a cure for any akumatization."

Excited murmurs broke out and Adrien heard Kim laugh giddily somewhere in front of them.

"I'm sure you learned quite a bit about them in school already, so we won't dive into them too much. And no," he added, throwing a merry wink into Kim's general direction, "We don't have any live examples here. And it's really hard to get even a dead one, because they decay really quickly after their death."

The murmur turned into disappointment, even though all of them had already seen and interacted with some during their Sorting. But they seemed to have forgotten the danger of fighting one.

"But we have some cool posters and preserved stuff for you to see," the guide grinned and led them through a long hallway, all the while explaining Akumas and their different stages.

The first two stages were relatively human like. Fair skin, you can still make out their facial structures and were running on two legs. Stage 2 was only marked through the eating habits: They preferred humans over cattle.

Level 3 is gaining speed, they get claws on hands and feet and are madly clumsy, running against trees and buildings, because their balance is shifting forwards so they can run on four legs.

Level 4 is marked with a dark, purple skin. The food they are getting, either human, cattle or other Akuma, let them grow. From that stage on, they solely walk on all fours.

With level 5 comes lethal danger. They have a catch rate up to 80 percent and even the fastest can barely outrun them. They have glowing white eyes and glowing veins are moving under their skin. Their voice is reduced to a mere whisper because their vocal cords are breaking.

Level 6 is the most dangerous. They are fast and tall with a massive hunger. They are focused on collecting food and bringing it to the nests, where the level 7 and 8 are waiting. Everything above level 7 barely leaves the nest, they are highly deformed and barely even human looking.

A slimy substance covers their skin, which forms a cocoon for the Akuma to evolve in. These cocoons are level 8.

When the Akuma break out of their cocoons, they have developed wings. Skinny to the bone, the papery wings can barely lift anything more than the Akuma itself. One has yet to survive a meeting with a level 9.

They don't know anything about a level 10. Fact is, the legs and arms have deceased or fallen off, fact is that they barely survive this stage as it is. There was only one sighting of a level 10, in Bulgaria, somewhen in the 80s.

That was what they were displayinging in the showroom they stepped into. It was clear that the room was nothing like the other laboratories. The greatest difference was the lighting. The showroom was darker, to enhance the spotlights focused on different photographs, diagrams or exhibition pieces.

Adrien felt like he had stepped into a museum.

There was an arm displayed, the skin quite fair, only a bit purple on the edges. It looked too human for his liking. Then, they had a model of an Akuma's head, where you could take out different parts, like the eyes, to examine them further.

But aside from that, it wasn't really interesting.

Their guide let them explore the showroom on their own after explaining that they couldn't visit the real labs, because they were scared they could be infected in the event of a mishap or something. Again, he eyed Kim, who had previously managed to drop a phial with some medicine.

Marinette was pulled away from him by Alya, who was eager to rip the model head apart. So Adrien searched for Kim, deciding that it was more exciting with him.

"No, I swear, I heard something!" he was angrily whispering to Max.

Max only huffed. "Yeah, and that definitely was an Akuma."

"Yes," Kim nodded. "When I fought against a level 4 during the sorting, that one made similar noises. I swear."

Alix, who stood next to him only laughed. "You're a doofus, really. Didn't you just listen? The guy explained that they had no live subjects here."

"Yeah, because they would openly admit that they brought an actual Akuma over the wall to a group of students," he hissed. "Naturally, they would deny it."

"He has a point," Adrien shrugged and Kim pointed a finger at Alix.

"See? Adrien thinks so too."

Alix only huffed and shook her head. "I don't think they have one here."

"Wanna bet?" Kim challenged. "We can easily go back and slip through the door unnoticed."

"I highly advise against doing that, you can get expelled," Max exclaimed.

Both, Kim and Alix shushed him.

"Do you want to shout some more?" Alix hissed. "And you don't have to come with us if you're too chicken. I'm certain Adrien will gladly jump in as a referee."

"Sure," Adrien grinned, his cheeky side taking over. "I'd like to see how you two get busted."

"Okay," Kim giggled, "The bet is on. If there is an Akuma in there, you'll be my slave for the rest of the year."

"Alright," Alix grinned, "And if I win, you'll be my slave."

"Deal," Kim exclaimed and they both shook hands. "And Adrien is our referee."

"I can distract Madame Bustier and the guide," someone behind them said. All three flinched around and saw Nino standing directly behind them.

"Gosh, Nino!" Kim shrieked. "You gave me a heart attack!"

Nino only rolled his eyes and Alix snickered that Kim was screaming like a little girl. After some more banter, Nino and Max went to distract the adults, leaving Kim, Alix, and Adrien lingering by a diagram close by the door. As soon as their teacher was distracted, they slipped out of the room.

"Where did you hear the sounds?" Adrien whispered as they shuffled quickly through the hallway.

"Over there," Kim gestured ahead when they came to a crossing. The hall to their left was closed off through a door. "A scientist came out of there and when the door opened, I heard the muffled scream."

"Really precise," Alix grumbled, glancing left and right.

Kim stepped forwards and pulled at the handle. It didn't budge. Groaning, he tried again and again, but it was closed.

"Wait a second," Adrien whispered and glanced around for any cameras. Finding none, he quickly called up his power and touched the lock. He had trained some in the Safe Zone and he might be able to only destroy the mechanism, not the lock itself. If the door were to crumble to dust while he, Adrien Agreste, the only one who was able to destroy things with a single touch, happened to be in the labs with his class, it wouldn't take a detective to determine who broken into the secret lab.

So he focussed on the lock itself, the stud keeping the door in place. And just as he wanted, black dust crumbled out of the hole.

Smirking, he glanced at Alix and Kim and opened the door for them.

Laughing giddily, Kim slipped inside. Alix passed Adrien as well with a muttered "Showoff."

With a grin, he slipped in after Alix.

Behind the door was another hallway. Different rooms led off to the left and right. Some had small windows, showing laboratories inside, but they didn't linger too long on either, because there were people inside and they didn't want to get caught. Some doors were locked and Kim wanted Adrien to open them as well, but Adrien had to explain him in a whisper that his power had to recharge. And even then, they could simply enter a closet and would be none the wiser.

The rooms had had numbers written on small plates next to the doors, but they barely told them anything useful.

"Nothing's in here," Alix hissed after the third locked door. "I won. We need to get back or we're going to get caught."

"No, we still have a few rooms left!" Kim insisted. "See? Here's an empty lab, maybe-"

"Kim," Adrien interrupted, "Alix is right. We have to go back."

They had been gone for quite some time now and even if their teacher hadn't noticed their absence, some worker would come by soon. And Adrien doubted the broken lock would stay unnoticed for much longer.

As if reading their thoughts some door opened a bit down the hall and a man in a white coat stepped out. They were lucky that he was shuffling through some papers and didn't notice them slipping into the empty lab.

The laboratory they entered looked quite normal. White tiles, working stations left and right and cupboard and shelves with weird glass objects. There were two other doors, a smaller one and a double swinging door at the far end. The three crouched behind a working station and watched the door intently.

Steps came closer, A shadow went by the small window and the man passed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Adrien was just about to tell Kim that he had lost the bet, when suddenly a horrifying shriek made them flinch around. It was a breathy, guttural scream.

Adrien knew that sound. Level 3. The last time he had heard such a scream, he had had Marinette hoisted over his shoulder and was running for his life.

Gulping, he turned to the double doors at their backs.

"I knew it!" Kim hissed, triumph written in his face. "I'm looking forward to a massage on every Monday and freshly cleaned clothes after sports club on Wednesday and Saturday," he sang.

"Oh, come on!" Alix hissed. "A scream is no proof!"

"Then let's have a look!" Kim smirked and was gone from their hiding place in a flash.

"Kim!" both whisper-yelled after him, but he was already at the door, gently pushing it open and peeking through the slit.

Adrien wanted to pull him away, Alix was nervously eyeing the door. But Kim froze, refusing to leave the door and let them get back to their class.

"Kim!" Adrien warned him and pulled at his hoodie, but Kim instantly shushed him, waving at them to mirror him.

Huffing in annoyance, Alix left her lookout and quickly skipped to them, crouching down to look through the slit below Kim.

"Holy shit," Alix cursed and Adrien shoved Kim away to have a peek for himself.

The hall behind the doors was dark, only illuminated by single spotlights that were trained onto tables and containers with some fluid inside. Cables, Computers and all that necessary technical stuff was littered around the room. It looked quite intriguing, but the most interesting part happened on the workstations and tables.

Akuma parts were littered around, arms and legs connected with wires to machines, and tubes. Glasses were filled with stuff Adrien couldn't name. The air was filled with an electrical hum and a weird murmur.

It was the dark corners that were interesting though. Bars separated the laboratory and an enormous space where dark shadows prowled back and forth, glowing white eyes roaming through the shadows.

But the Akuma were definitely not entirely conscious, they were bumping against each other and against the bars.

Thankfully, the darkness prevented him from seeing any details, but it definitely didn't look good.

His sight was cut when Alix pushed the door closed. "Okay, you won, but we have to get back now," she hissed.

Adrien was about to retreat, when a shadow suddenly stopped in front of the door leading to the hallway. Voices were drifting through the wood and they quickly hid behind the workstation again, holding their breath.

"- got the results?" a man asked when he entered.

A woman was following, shuffling through papers on a clipboard. "Yes, the tests came out negative, the subject deceased."

"What a shame," the man hummed and stepped to the closet directly across from them. The teens quickly shuffled around the isle and tried not to make too many sounds.

Adrien's heart raced, though. Sure, he was used to crawl around places where he was not allowed to be, but that was Chat Noir and not Adrien. This time, _Adrien_ could get in serious trouble.

Holding his breath, he ushered Kim and Alix forwards, so they could leave while the scientists were occupied. Kim and Alix just slipped out, when the adults picked up their conversation and the man turned around, preventing Adrien from leaving as well.

Cursing in his head, he crouched back below the working station, peeking out, so he wouldn't miss his chance.

"It's really a shame. Julie was really promising and I had high hopes," the man said, stepping to the station Adrien hid behind.

Julie? Why did the name sound familiar?

The woman hummed in approval. "That's right, her gift was strong. Hawkmoth really thought she was the one."

"Have you seen his son?" the man laughed. "We should test him, not those poor children."

That rung a bell.

Julie was the girl that was taken from her mother a few weeks back. The one Chat and Ladybug had watched.

His throat suddenly felt dry like sandpaper and Adrien felt light headed. Ladybug was right, they brought the children from the Safe Zone to do experiments on them. Why? How? He wanted to ask so many question, but not a single one could form in his head. He felt betrayed.

"Be careful, Jaques," the woman continued their conversation despite Adrien's swimming head. "I swear that secretary has her eyes and ears everywhere."

"I know."

"And soon I'm going to have you on my table."

"I know," the man drawled. "It's just... I want some results. Hawkmoth's promising the world and whatnot, but if he doesn't deliver any results soon, I swear..."

The rest of the conversation was lost to Adrien, because the two vanished into the hall with the Akuma, the swinging door closing behind their backs and leaving Adrien alone.

Like in trance, Adrien slipped back out into the hall, Alix and Kim already waiting for him. Without any further stalling, they crept back through the hallway, out the door with the broken lock and back to their group into the showing room.

Kim was already bragging about his win with a grumbling Alix trailing behind. They were wise enough not to tell people what the bet was about, but Adrien barely cared for Kim's victory dance.

He was searching for Marinette in the hall, finding her still immersed in the model of the Akuma's head.

"Hey, Mari? Alya?" he addressed them and stepped next to them, leaning close.

He barely registered Marinette's flushed face and some stammered words leaving her lips. Alya was looking annoyed, but he had more pressing matters to discuss.

"Does the name Hawkmoth ring a bell?" he asked in a hushed whisper, eyeing both. Marinette's gaze turned confused, Alya's face darkened though.

"You're coming with that _now_?!" Alya hissed and shook her head. "Really, you got some timing, Agreste."

"Where did you hear that name?" Marinette asked instead.

"I heard some guys talk about him. I snooped around with Alix and Kim," Adrien shrugged. "Who is that?"

"Later," Marinette nodded and placed her hand on his arm. "Not here."

Alya huffed and placed the plastic eye she held back into the Akuma's head. "Come on, Mari, let's have a look at the teeth over there."

Alya threw him an annoyed glance and tugged Marinette away. His Lady flashed him an apologetic glance and let herself be dragged away.

Growling, he crossed his arms across his chest. To be honest, he was a _bit_ jealous. Was it too much to ask a bit of time with Marinette? And this was serious! Was it too much to ask to talk to her? It was either Chloé or Alya separating them. All that was left to him were texts, calls and the Safe Zone.

And even then, it was Chat Noir and Ladybug. Was it too much to ask for Marinette?


	13. Hawkmoth

Heyhoooo, I'm back!

Sorry for the long delay, but the Semester is really drawing to a close and I have a _ton_ of projects waiting for my attention and I had to postpone writing again and again and it really was messy at some point. The workload isn't over yet, but I found some time to write and - as long as my awsome Beta is up to schedule as well - there won't be any delays anymore until the most of it is over, so - cross your fingers!

However, here's your **Previously on Behind the Walls: **After Adrien got hurt badly during a raid in the Safe Zone, Marinette discovers that her Powers are able to transfer to other people as well. After some recovering, Chat Noir visited the Safe Zone with Rena Rouge and got to know some of the gangs. The class made a trip into the Laboratories of Human Research and were surprised with a dark secret.

* * *

Chapter 13: Hawkmoth

"So," Adrien began, setting his bag down beside Marinette's chaise. His fencing training had just ended and he bribed the Gorilla with some pastries so he had a few minutes with Marinette. Their excursion had been yesterday, but the conversation he had overheard in that lab was still swirling in his head. "Who is Hawkmoth?"

Marinette was at her desk and scribbling something in her sketchbook, but stopped when Adrien spoke up.

"We don't know," she answered. She didn't look at him, but he noticed she was frowning. "He has many of the gangs at his will, they are either in debt to him or he is threatening them, so they act upon his will. We've been trying to get a line on him for years by now."

"Wow," Adrien hummed and sat on the ground next to her desk, fiddling with his ring. "He sounds powerful."

"You have no idea," Marinette sighed and leaned back, catching his gaze. "The fact that we know nothing of him is... weird. We catch his name here and there, but he's more of a shadow. No known base, no claimed territory. We don't know how many men he has and what his goals are. But he's ruling over the Safe Zone with an iron grip. People are missing and the departments fear him. It's awful."

"And what does he have to do with the Laboratories?" Adrien asked. If Hawkmoth was a man from the Safe Zone, how comes he was controlling the scientists from Moyenne or even Gouvernement?

"I... don't know, honestly. He has his hands everywhere. How did you learn of him anyway?"

He quickly told her about the bet and the conversation he had overheard. "Do you think Hawkmoth could be living in Moyenne?"

"We had suspected something like that already. It's not uncommon for people from Moyenne visit the Safe Zone," Marinette mused. "It's only the approach that varies."

"People from Gouvernement go down as well. Father, I mean, Nathalie with him on video, are always visiting factories. I know some few neighbours as well and the major visits all the time. For appearance," Adrien shrugged. "Hawkmoth could be from Gouvernement as well."

That made Marinette pale. "If Hawkmoth's really from Gouvernement, we have no chance of taking him down."

"Do we want to take him down?"

"Of course," Marinette huffed and lightly kicked his shin. "He's the main reason the gangs are always attacking each other. We might not know what else he's causing, or what his motivations are, but if he's even involved with the labs, I'd rather not underestimate him."

Adrien shook his head. "What _could_ he want? The Safe Zone? A cure for the akumatization?"

"We're not sure," Marinette shrugged. "We thought he wanted power, nearly all of the smaller districts are in his hands, only the Beurres and the Dragons don't belong to him, and some smaller ones like the Vikings. But if he has contacts in the labs... I have no clue what he wants."

"We could try to talk to him? I mean, he has to have _some_ contacts in the Safe Zone, right?"

"Yeah," Marinette sighed, "But those that we know of are too afraid of him to even talk to _us_. If we knew what he has over them, we could actually _do_ something."

Humming, Adrien let his head rest against Marinette's desk. Maybe he could work something out with Alya?

:

"Gosh, how can anyone be so selfish?!" Alya grumbled.

She and Marinette were sitting in Marinette's room, talking about nonsense. A few weeks had passed and they were settling into their second semester. They had originally planned to visit an open air movie, but due to the time of the year, it was raining the whole day and they retreated into dryer areas, enjoying idle chit chat.

Alya had been in the middle of a rant about her Akuma blog, because their teachers had announced that they would fight one in PhysEd in their second year, when Adrien had sent her a message with a cute cat. Distracted, Marinette smiled at her phone, because, come on, the cat was stuck in a vase, and Alya got angry.

Marinette would like to roll her eyes. Due to some unknown reasons, Alya had developed a deep mistrust of Adrien. First, it was subtle comments, trying to coax her away from him. Then, it turned into less subtle remarks, to full declarations of hate.

Really, it was tiring. Especially, because her only reasoning seemed to be their battle against Alix, Rose and Juleka at the beginning of their school year. That evening, it had begun and she was on a hate rage ever since. But, honestly, it had been Alya's plan in the first place, everyone knew it was risky to send Adrien to Rose and they _had_ managed to win, so why hold the grudge?

Especially, because Alya's mistrust was affecting their teamwork. In every little exercise in MentEd, she began to fault him for things he wasn't even responsible for.

Adrien had asked what was up with Alya more than once, but Marinette couldn't really tell. She had often asked her, but Alya always said that she didn't not like him, it was just he was getting on her nerves. She was lying though, Marinette could tell as much.

So, in Marinette's eyes, Adrien didn't do anything wrong, he even does anything to befriend her, Alya's wrath was uncalled for, so she let her ramble and forget about it. She had tried to argue in Adrien's favour, but that always made her best friend even madder.

Letting her talk it out and forget about it was normally the safer option to guarantee a peaceful afternoon.

"He can't let you be, can he? Hasn't he got enough to do?! Gosh, I ask for only _one_ evening and he's hogging your attention."

"Alya," she scolded her. "Come on, that's over exaggerated. He sent me _one_ picture and I've been with you for... three hours."

"He's _always_ with you! In school, texting you after, and even at night in the Safe Zone!" she argued, getting mad.

Sighing, Marinette scooted closer to her. "You don't need to be afraid that he will replace you. You'll always be my best friend, you know that?"

Alya opened her mouth, stopped, then closed it, biting her tongue.

"Tell me," Marinette prompted. "Tell me what you want to tell me for months now. I know there is something you're keeping to yourself." Sighing, she placed her hand on Alya's knee, trying to give her comfort. "I'm your best friend, right? You can tell me what bothers you."

"I... I can't Marinette," Alya whispered. Her face had contorted to agony.

"But you can tell Nino?"

Silence followed where Alya was watching her intently. Marinette held her gaze with confidence. If she could only get to the roots of Alya's problem, maybe her two best friends could become friends themselves? It was really important. Peaceful afternoon be damned, because Alya gave her a really nice opening and now she was determined to get a peaceful life, where her best friend and future husband (she still liked him _very_ much and was still planning on tying the knot with him) got along.

"He knew even before I did," Alya admitted, her voice low, her gaze sinking. She watched Marinette's hand on her knee, took her fingers into hers. She laced them together, holding her tight.

What was so devastating about Adrien that Alya was feeling too fragile to tell her?

Not that it was Adrien's fault, that boy couldn't even hurt a fly and Marinette's trust in him seemed endless at this point.

"Do you... really want to know?" Alya asked and Marinette instantly nodded. It really couldn't be too bad.

It was quite sudden when Alya raised her hand, cupped her cheek, drew her closer, and kissed her. Not a simple peck on the cheek, but a real kiss on Marinette's lips.

Alya drew back and watched her with wide, expectant eyes.

Yeah, what could Marinette say? She needed a few seconds to process it. Alya seemed to like her. Like... like like. Alya had nothing against Adrien, it was just that she was jealous.

The big question was: What to do now?

Marinette loved Alya, she really did. Just... not like that. A cold shiver ran down Marinette's spine. She had to reject her.

"Can you say something?" Alya prompted and Marinette blinked herself back into reality.

"I... sorry, but- how long... have you felt like that?" Marinette asked, her voice barely a whisper. She feared Alya didn't hear her over the raging rain outside, but Alya simply shrugged.

"I don't know. A long time, I think. I didn't realize it first, but when you talked with Adrien after MentEd that one time, I just..." she shrugged, flushing red. "Can you please tell me, what you think?" she giggled nervously. "You're kinda leaving me hanging here."

Gulping, Marinette looked at their still entwined hands. "I love you, Alya, I really do," she began. "But... I don't... like you like that, I'm so-" she began, but Alya abruptly stood up, her head turned away from her. "Alya, I'm sorry," Marinette whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. She hated to see her friend upset. But she couldn't make it better this time.

Truth hurts sometimes.

"No need to be sorry," Alya croaked, turning to Marinette's trapdoor.

Panicking, Marinette reached out to her, grabbing her arm. "Alya? Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to go now, Marinette," Alya answered and ripped her wrist from Marinette's grip. "I'm sorry I upset you."

"Don't be ridiculous," Marinette huffed and followed her out into their living room. "You didn't do anything wrong, can you just-"

"No, Marinette, I'm sorry," Alya exclaimed, turning around with vigour. Tears were dancing in her eyes and Marinette's heart broke. "I just need... space. I'm sorry," Alya cracked and dashed away.

Marinette stood in the middle of their living room, tears streaming down her face. Had she just lost her best friend?

She didn't know how, but she eventually climbed back in her room, her ringing phone against her ear. Breathing heavily, she flinched when Adrien's voice came out of her speaker.

"_Hey Princess! Are you bored? I'm currently beating Nino's ass at Ultimate Mecha Strike, want to join my victory?"_

"I might have lost Alya," Marinette sobbed and she instantly heard the faint, catchy music from the pause menu.

_"What do you mean? What happened?_" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Taking a shaking breath, Marinette sat on the floor, curled around her knees, burying her face in the fabric of her jeans. "I don't know," she confessed, crying. "We were talking and she was upset at you again. I asked what her problem was and she kissed me. I can't lie to her like that, she's my best friend, I don't like her like that," she sobbed and Adrien hummed at the other end.

"_It's okay, princess, you don't have to reciprocate,_" he murmured.

"I... I just," she hiccuped, "I didn't know, Adrien! I didn't know she liked me! I... She's... she's my best friend."

"_I know, princess._"

She sobbed harder. "No, you don't know! She was jealous, Adrien! That's why she didn't l- like you." Her voice was barely a whisper, broken because of her tears. Adrien was silent. "And now I lost my best friend and I'm lonely, and, and..."

"_Hey,_" he murmured, _"If she abandons you only because you don't feel the same, she's not a real best friend,_" he murmured. _"I wouldn't endanger our relationship because of something this silly_."

"It's not silly!" Marinette defended her. "When you love someone and the one is brushing you off, it's awful!"

Adrien only sighed. "_I know Princess, but you just told me you don't like her like that. Tell me: Were you mean?_"

"N- no," she shook her head.

_"Were you gentl__e__ letting her down?_"

Nodding, she answered, "As gentle as possible. She's my best friend, Adrien."

_"Then you did everything right, Princess. The other option would have been to lie to her and be with her, but you wouldn't have been happy. Would you want to be with her only to spare her of heartbreak_?" his voice was soothing and calm. It sounded logical.

"No," she whispered, shyly admitting he was right.

_"Then you can't help it. She just needs to come to terms with the fact that you don't like her like that,"_ he reasoned and Marinette felt slightly better.

"But what if she hates me now?"

"_She doesn't hate you, Marinette. She surely just needs time. Give her space and she'll come around. Now, do me a favour and take a bath, make yourself a nice, hot tea and you'll see, everything's going to be fine._"

"Okay," Marinette sighed, pulling at her fringe. "Thank you, Adrien. I won't bother you anymore."

"_You're not bothering me,_" he said and she could hear his smile. "_I'm always there for you._"

"Thank you. Really."

"_It's okay._"

They then hung up and Marinette followed his orders. She prepared a nice, hot bath, stayed inside until the water run cold and her fingers were wrinkly. Then, she grabbed an entire plate of leftover cookies and muffins from her parents bakery and vanished into her room with a steaming hot can full of cocoa.

Maybe a movie would be nice.

She had just started her laptop, browsing through her library, when she heard a knock from her balcony. She first mistook it for something else, it was still raining madly and it was dark by now, but then it repeated and it sounded awfully uncoincidentally.

Frowning, she took her yoyo from her desk (as a precaution) and climbed up her bed, glancing out of the small window leading to her balcony.

There was a human figure, drenched and shivering. Blond hair.

"Adrien?!" she gasped and quickly opened the window, tugging the wet boy inside, careful to not let too much rain dribble on her bedsheets. "What are you doing here?!"

"I guessed you were still upset," he murmured and cupped her cheek. "I wanted to make sure you're fine."

Huffing, she ushered him down to her main room, placing him in the middle and ordered for him not to move. Confused, he stayed at the spot, rubbing his arms. He really looked awful.

Quickly rushing down, she grabbed the fluffiest towel they possessed and grabbed one of her father's smaller clothes, rushing back upstairs.

"You need to get dry," she ordered. "You're not catching a cold on my behalf."

Stepping closer she draped the towel around his head, rubbing playfully. He laughed and shied away, but she followed. They eventually managed to get him out of his clothes, and hung them over Marinette's chaise and chairs.

He was just pulling her father's shirt over his head, when she noticed the scar from the lightning.

"Père didn't see it yet, I hope it stays like that," he murmured, following her gaze.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No," he yawned, tugging the shirt that was way too tall for him over his hips. "It really ever was only a bit stiff. I'm really glad you managed to help me with that."

Marinette hummed in acknowledgement, drawing her arms around her waist. She only ever hurt people, having to fix them up later. What a hero she was.

"Marinette?" Adrien addressed her.

"Why can I only hurt people?" she whispered, tears pricking her eyes again. The bit stress the bath managed to lose came back to her.

"Hey," Adrien cooed and suddenly, his warmth was everywhere. "It's not your fault." His arms snaked around her frame, his cheek rested on her temple.

"I hurt Alya," she sniffed, burying her nose in his soft neck, clutching at his shirt. He smelled like mint, but the shirt smelled like her father. It was comforting. "And I hurt you. If I hadn't taken you with me that night, if I hadn't shown you the Safe Zone in the first place-"

"Then I would still be dumb, living in my golden cage without a care. If you hadn't shown me, I would not now what _life_ is like for normal people. If you hadn't shown me, we wouldn't be so close," he argued and Marinette held her breath, listening intently.

"If you hadn't taken me with you that evening, you would have been there alone, caught by the police or worse. You might have been hurt and I simply _can't_ let you get hurt. No one would have guessed that that had been a trap," he murmured, his cheek rubbing against her and his scent wafted through her again.

It must be forbidden to be that comforting, distracting and awfully handsome at the same time when you were upset.

"And if you hadn't told Alya that you don't like her like that, you would have been extremely unhappy, destroying her heart later and worse. You meant good and that is what counts. You can only react to people. You can't undo the past. You gave the best you could and if that's not enough, well, what else could you have done?"

Sighing, she refused to answer, simply because it sounded so right what he said. She still felt awful though.

"Now, I know you still feel awful," he chuckled and she briefly wondered whether he was able to read her mind or whether he was just that awesome. "So we're going to cuddle in your bed and watch that movie you selected. Maybe eat a few of your parents' cookies."

"Admit it," she chuckled. "You're only here because of the cookies."

He hissed, his arms tightening around her. "You found out my secret!" Marinette giggled.

Eventually, they cuddled up in her bed, some old movie playing in the background. But all she was able to focus was on, was how good it felt to be with Adrien. He was making her laugh when she felt bad, he was warm, comfortable and just... right.

She couldn't have this with Alya.

Tightening her hold on him, her head resting on his chest, she intently listened to his steady heartbeat. Loving his warmth. His comfort.

Then his hand wandered into her hair, lightly stroking it and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling a bit too much.

Unfortunately, that was the night where Adrien decided to never tell her his feelings. If Alya, her best friend for _years_ was causing her so much trouble... He knew it was quite unreasonable to compare himself with Alya, because the two were different on so many levels, but... they both liked Marinette. They both shared a close bond with her. And he saw the hurt in her eyes after he had rushed over here and decided that he won't ever be the cause of something similar.

Even if that meant that they could never be together like he so desperately wanted to.

:

The next few months were horrible. Alya downright ignored Marinette, even went so far to swap her seat in class with Mylène.

Marinette knew she should give her space, should let her work the things out, but it hurt. She missed her best friend, missed talking to her or texting her.

She tried to compensate with Adrien, but that boy had a tight schedule and sometimes needed hours to answer to her texts. She tried to talk with Nino, especially during school time, because Adrien was occupied by Chloé, but it wasn't the same.

And MentEd was a complete catastrophe. Their group dynamic had been off before, but now, they had reached a new low. That, along with the pressure of their year exam transformed Marinette into a nervous and jittery wreck.

The exam was incredibly important. Those, who had only scored a C in the Sorting could be thrown out if they didn't pass. Marinette had scored a B, thanks to Madame Bustier, but Marinette wanted to prove that she belonged here. She wanted only As and Bs on her report. So she trained day in and out.

Her sparkles were still useless as hell, but she managed to improve her healing. She hadn't hurt herself in over three months, or at least shed any blood (bruises and rampaged toes excluded, they were still a daily occurrence thanks to her clumsiness). The transfer onto someone else was working slowly at best.

When Adrien had been hurt, it came naturally and she always tried to recreate the feeling, the tug in her stomach and the want to _help_. But whenever she tried to heal a bruise her father had gotten or some student in school during PhysEd, it didn't work _that_ well. She once managed to heal a cut Nino had gotten from a paper, but they only noticed the healed finger a few hours later.

But due to the fact that Nino's power based on water as well... well, Marinette wasn't _that_ certain it was her doing.

Eventually, the end of term exams were rolling around and some people from their class feared their expulsion. People like Rose, Mylène or Max had only scored a C in their Sorting and Marinette tried to distract herself with helping them to get them a better physique or they revised some topics from their classes.

Extra training after school _did_ help her to forget her worries with Alya, and it was even quite nice to spend some time with people from school. Some others joined them as well, Ivan, who had developed a crush on Mylène was with them, as well as Yuleka and Nathaniel from time to time.

When Marinette came home in the evening, she had barely time to eat some dinner and then sat back down to do homework, write essays or do whatever she didn't finish the day before.

That's how the weeks flew by and the week before their exams was filled to the brim with revisions, training or group projects.

She had already forgotten about Monsieur Dumanche's contest in MentEd, until she suddenly stood back in the Outer Ring, next to Adrien and Nino, both looking quite queasy. Their team was awfully off balance and they had no doubt that they'll lose this time.

"We're screwed," Nino stated eloquently as they watched Chloè and Lila`s group fight against Alix`.

Well, to be fair, Chloè and Lila had improved. They weren't arguing as much as at the beginning of the year and they had quite a good battle strategy. Sabrina, being invisible hid their flag. Chloè and Lila were somewhere in the field, shouting orders here and there, hiding amongst thousand copies of themselves.

The orders were confusing and didn't make any sense for Marinette, especially because Nathaniel, placed a few paces in front of them, was doing his own thing.

"Are they ordering Sabrina around?" Adrien asked, his arms crossed in front of him and his head tilted to the side.

"I have no clue."

On the other side was Alix busy with distracting Nathaniel, who in turn tried to dodge her arms. Juleka was busy shooting her beams across the field, hitting dozens of copies Lila had produced of their team, always missing the real deals. Rose stood at their end, confused and scared, doing nothing.

"And they are copying our strategy," Nino grumbled. "The copies were our idea."

"Well, Lila _has_ a similar power as Alya," Adrien shrugged. "You can't expect that they are not copying us."

With a hum, Marinette watched the chaos in front of them. How could _anyone_ come up with such a chaotic strategy?

But somehow, it seemed to work, because Rose began to scream suddenly and their teams flag vanished in front of their eyes. Sabrina must have gotten to the other end and had stolen the flag right from Rose's belt.

Rose, in a panic was spritzing her perfume left and right, but seems to always miss Sabrina.

Eventually, around five Chloè's and Lila's began to laugh hauntingly and they were mocking the other team. Alix got angry and managed to hit Nathaniel, who stumbled into a beam Juleka shot and both exchanged places, so Alix, who just wanted to hit him square in the face, knocked Juleka out and Rose squeaked, only managing to make the masses of Chloé and Lila laugh hauntingly.

With one mate down and the flag out of their possession, Alix and Rose didn't manage to win the flag back by the end of the battle, especially after Chloé managed to sneak up at Alix and stun the girl.

Groaning, Marinette prayed to the stars that they didn't have to fight them. She couldn't wait to be confronted with a million of Chloés and being beaten by her.

It was their turn next. Being up against Ivan, Mylène, Kim and Max, it instantly went southward. Alya had instantly snatched their flag, claiming that she was the only one able to protect it.

They noticed that the opposing team had instantly switched to a different tactic than last time. Ivan was protecting their flag, having it bound across his forehead. He stood back with Max, silently watching the battle unfold. Kim was shooting at them from the air and Mylène was busying them with trying to snatch them away.

They had been lucky though, because the field, having been used the entire year by the school, it spotted various places to hide. Walls and even tunnels made of earth, entire trees and roots that had been planted and grown exceedingly, burned to ashes and have been rebuild multiple times.

So, even without the rocks Ivan had provided them the last time, they were able to dodge and hide fairly quickly.

The problem: Alya was hiding somewhere where even Marinette couldn't find her and she refused to come out to make a plan. Therefore, the three were on their own, with only Adrien left as an offensive fighter.

"Okay, any ideas?" Marinette asked after their teacher announced that they had only ten minutes left. They had huddled Nino into their crammed hideout, in hopes of getting any idea on how to get the opposing team's flag.

"Has anyone seen Alya?" Nino asked and they had to shake their heads.

"We have to distract them somehow, though," Adrien warned as he peeked over their wall. "Kim and Mylène are coming closer. And I doubt Mylène will react on my jokes. And Kim only laughs about them, not being affected in any positive way."

"We can try it with my bubbles?" Nino suggested. "I trained and can try to harden them?" That was a useful skill Nino had developed since Christmas. When he concentrated, he can manage to make harder bubbles, solid, but as light as they had been before. Sometimes, it even hurt when you were running against them. But they cost a lot of energy and he was only able to produce a handful.

"No, we want to keep that in the back when we have to fight Alix or Nath," Marinette shook her head. "They would be more useful then."

"Any other idea? Kim's nearly here," Adrien hissed and was tugging at Marinette's arm to push her further into their hideout.

Marinette glanced around and tried to come up with _any_ kind of plan. Their hideout was great to remain unseen. It was a small hole, surrounded by a thick bush, a rock and a mould they were sitting in, perfect to be practically invisible. But once the enemy noticed where you were, it was a great cage as well. Only one side open where the attacker could easily corner them.

"No clue," Marinette admitted. "But at least they won't get our flag, I guess."

"Great," Nino muttered and let himself fall against the stone.

Kim really didn't need long to get to their entrance. With a tight bow, he blocked their entrance. "Give me your flag. You're cornered," he threatened and Mylène appeared by his side, ready to catch everyone who wanted to flee.

"We'd like to, really, you caught us in_flag_rante. _"_ Adrien shrugged and showed them his empty hands. "But we don't have it."

Kim's brows furrowed and Marinette noticed how he was glancing between them with increasing panic. "Where's Alya?"

"We don't know, bro," Nino answered, but their conversation was interrupted with a shriek and a roar from the other end of the field. The five teens instantly peeked around the edge to Max and Ivan.

The former was lying on the ground, unconscious, and Ivan was fighting off six Alya's. They were climbing on his arms and legs, the bulky boy tried to shake them off him, but one eventually managed to snatch the flag from his shoulders. Instantly, all copies ran off, every single one waving a red flag around their head, yelling in triumph.

Poor Max and Ivan were lost in a flurry of motion, not knowing where the real Alya was and if she even wore the real flag.

"Shit!" Kim cursed and took off, trying to keep a grip on the situation and Mylène quickly hurried after her teammate. Marinette simply exchanged a frown with Nino and Adrien. That surely was not how they wanted to win.

The opposing team managed to cut down the numbers of Alya's twins, but Monsieur Dumanche eventually ended the game, the time running out.

Grumbling, they climbed out of their cover, slowly walking over to her class. Alya was already with Rose and Yuleka, boasting around how no one could beat her.

When they reached their class, Monsieur Dumanche greeted them with a frown. "The winner is Team B," he announced. Alya did a double take. They had been Team A.

"But Monsieur!" she complained. "We're Team A, we won!" As if to prove her point, she waved the flag around. Their class broke out in murmur.

"Not quite," their teacher frowned. "This is meant to be a team exercise." Now, he let his eyes sweep around their group. Marinette hung her head in shame. "I was only able to watch three of you cower in fear, hiding in a cage you were not able to break out and one of you hiding the entire time, then dashing forward when she successfully let her team be captured, only to be the one victorious. Would this be a real battle, you might have won, yes, but you willingly sacrificed your people."

His gaze swept over their entire class who listened intently. "Where's the use of winning the war, but losing everything else? When you are out there, fighting against Akuma, you _have_ to protect and take care of your team, or none of you will come home alive. Or worse, the city can fall because of a mistake you made."

Marinette glanced at Alya. But instead of shame, Alya wore an expression of rage. "This exercise is dumb," she called. "You mean I should sacrifice a secure win, only so my team won't be captured?"

"Yes," Monsieur Dumanche nodded. "The team is your eyes and ears. And even if you might not come out victorious first, then try again and again and _learn_ how to win. I see that you're making the same mistake again and again. All of you," he addressed the whole class. "You're always bickering and shouting at each other. Always questioning each other.

"Your team is you life saver out there. They can hear or see what you don't they have a plan when yours fail, they keep you sane and grounded when confronted with dangers. So trust them and you will come out alive. That is more important than some victory no one will care about when you come home."

* * *

I'm no fan of Alyanette, but it kinda just... came out? I don't know, I don't care, but here you go, some dramaaa. Anyway, a huge shoutout to** RoseySparrow**, Beta extraordinaire ;)

Until next week and leave a comment 3


	14. Exam

**I'm not dead! Phew, no, honestly, my past few weeks were horrible. A good horrible, but horrible nonetheless. After last weekend I slept 14h straight, and that's a complete new record for me, but I was SO incredibly tired. I took a few days off of... everything and now I'm back! Updates _should_ come regular again.**

**However, that gets me to my next problem: My beta is kind of... MIA? I don't know what's wrong with her and she's not responding to my messages, that's part of why I didn't update sooner. **

**So: **This chapter is unedited.

**If anyone is interested to fill in in her absence, just PM me. No, really, I need a Beta, my entire grammar is based on my feeling of language/sprachgefühl (HA! German XD) and that's not quite reliable.**

**However, enjoy the chapter :) It's a bit slow, but the action comes with the next few. AND we're getting started on the serious stuff SOON!**

**Previously on Behind the Walls: **After Adrien got hurt badly during a raid in the Safe Zone, Marinette discovers that her Powers are able to transfer to other people as well. After some recovering, Chat Noir visited the Safe Zone with Rena Rouge and got to know some of the gangs. The class made a trip into the Laboratories of Human Research and were surprised with a dark secret. Alya finally acted on her felings for Marinette, but the new dynamic is affecting their teamwork.

* * *

Chapter 14: Exam

Their last week of the first school year was filled to the brim with last-minute-studying, revisions and those dreaded exams.

Marinette struggled through Math and Physics, as well as Literature – it wasn't her fault she barely had any time to _read_ between helping in her parents' shop and running with Adrien through the Safe Zone. At least Adrien struggled through the same problems. His only advantage was that he already knew about most of the stuff from being home schooled.

While Marinette loved all the subjects special for AHS, like Health Care and Strategy, Adrien struggled through those, not used to learn at home aside from school. However, Adrien had also his extra curriculars his father, read: Nathalie, had assigned him to. He hadn't had to sit through any meetings those last few weeks and that was a plus on his side.

But he expressed some major concerns regarding his father. He hadn't seen the man for a few weeks now and even though the total silence on his part was nothing new, it was more than uncommon to not hear his ranting from the bureau in the hall or the occasional crossing of paths somewhere between dinner and night time.

It worried Marinette as well, but she didn't put much thought into it. Gabriel was a well known man, busy with his company and the city's well being. If he truly went missing they would have known. Nathalie would at least tell Adrien.

So, Marinette had other problems. Next to those horrible exams, the Safe Zone got more chaotic with each passing day. Gangs were fighting and Chat Noir more than once left her side to talk to thugs with Rena Rouge. Out of some unknown reason, the people threatened the Neutral Zones in between the territories and were leashing out at each other. Nino complained again and again that he had to cancel a gig, because the police got wind of them and either ransacked the locations or barrelled into the party unannounced.

Marinette was just glad they had an excellent forewarning system going.

Apart from that, Adrien had suggested to lay low for a while. Many warehouses had doubled their guards and many factories had amplified their technology, meaning cameras and infra red scanners.

They were just lucky that the people didn't really _need_ anything right now. The days and nights were warm enough and due to a contract Paris sealed with some Asian country, food prices were at an all time low.

That left them with only minor responsibility. Enough so they could actually _study_ while patrolling. It was less patrolling than sitting on a random rooftop, some snacks shared between them and all around them were papers strewn around with formulas or texts.

Those study sessions saved Marinette's sorry ass in Math and Physics, Adrien was a real geek sometimes. And she had tried to get him through Strategy and Health Care.

Funnily enough, they aced their PhysEd exam. It was a practical test and they were to fight against another team from another class. They got padded with some cushioning armour and got gigantic cotton sticks and had to beat the other team out of the ring. They got graded by their team performance and their technical skills.

Adrien and Marinette were too much in synch to even break a sweat.

MentEd was another obstacle. Their entire team dynamic was off. Even though Alya was on neutral ground with Nino and, hesitantly, with Adrien as well. The only solace was that Alya listened to Marinette's suggestions for their battles. Again, they had to battle another team from another class. Not on the school's makeshift field, but in their gym where their teachers had built some kind of obstacle course. The rules were easy: Use your powers, but not the installations. And even though they lost the battle against their opponents, they scored at least a B.

But all those tests were not as concerning as the final exam.

Those students who didn't pass the Sorting too well had to pass a test their teachers called the Maze. Different than the Sorting, they didn't really made a fuss about the contents of this examination. They really wanted them to pass, so they gave them advices.

Marinette really feared the Maze. Luckily, she wasn't on the verge of leaving school, but friends, like Rose or Max were and she didn't want to miss them.

The Maze was some secluded area in the Catacombs the school is renting from the town every year to test their first-years. The students from the second year were tasked with creating obstacles, riddles or the like to make the journey as hard as possible without being life threatening. Aside from that, they were to expect everything.

Madame Bustier had told them that a few years ago, a student got lost in a void, because some student created a black hole. Said student used black holes to travel through space, but it seemed that other people were not as fortunate with his holes.

Sure, they managed to rescue the poor girl trapped inside, but, some other year, the tunnels got too unstable from mining, some parts collapsed and some students got buried underneath the rubble and got several serious injuries.

In short: the Maze could be as dangerous as the world outside of Paris. And their second grade students were unpredictable little bastards. They were taunting them for weeks beforehand, laughing quietly when one of their grade passed by and were throwing taunting smirks their way along with taunting jabs and bits of 'advice'.

It was pure torture, but Madame Bustier told them that that happened every year and all the second-years had too much fun to forbid it. And they had every right to do it next year as well.

"I can't _wait_ to scare the kids next year!" Kim boasted the day before they had to get down into the catacombs.

They were sitting in Marinette's room and were enjoying some pizza Kim and Alix had smuggled past her parents. They had just finished the last exam in history and were psyching each other up about the coming day.

"We can talk Ivan in shifting the walls," Alix suggested, peeling some mushrooms from her piece of pizza.

"Madame Bustier told us just yesterday that mining is forbidden," Mylène threw in. "But I can make everything slimy!"

"Slimy is boring," Alix drawled and flicked a mushroom at Mylène. "We can't really scare anyone with slime, can we?"

"I don't really want to scare them," Mylène murmured. "I'm already scared as it is."

"Nothing bad can happen," Ivan tried to reassure her. "And even though, we can stay close and I can protect you."

"Aw," Marinette cooed and elbowed Yuleka. The two girls exchanged a glance and giggled, much to Mylène's embarrassment.

"Anyway!" Kim interrupted them and pulled the attention back to him. "Can't you see the opportunity? Sure, they forbid mining, but that's why no one would expect it! They are going to be so confused!" He ended with a mad laughter that made the group exchange worried glances.

"We really can't mine through tunnels," Adrien tried to reason. "But we can make fake walls and move them," he suggested.

Suddenly, there was a flutter of excitement and everyone was talking over the other, throwing ideas back and forth. Marinette was just content to lean on Adrien's side though, listening on how Alix was rambling about how they could totally hold students captive with Mylène's goo and how Ivan could move walls around to scare those that managed to escape.

It was a really fun evening, but all too soon, the dread of the next day settled in again and they bid their farewells one by one. Up until it was only Adrien and her.

"Gorilla will be here in about ten minutes," Adrien told her tipping away at his phone. Marinette hummed and glanced around her parent's living room. "What's on your mind?"

With a sigh, Marinette shrugged. "I don't know. Just the nerves, I guess."

"We will manage," Adrien softly smiled at her. "And neither one of us is about to fail."

"I know," she sighed. "But that doesn't help with anxiety, I guess."

Laughing, Adrien placed his hand on her shoulder. "Marinette. You're literally the most amazing person I know. And you know the Catacombs. How to move and which places to avoid. I think you and Ivan – with his insanely freakish sense of earth – you two are the only ones who won't have any problems down there."

"But what about the traps?"

"They are set by overeager second years. There won't be any dangerous things. We got out of more threatening situations," he reminded her by a light touch to his side, right where the lightning had struck a few months prior. "I have absolute faith in us."

"Thanks," Marinette smiled and looked up at him, only to see him already looking at her with so much fondness, it kind of shocked her.

To avert his gaze, she drew her arms around his waist and Adrien didn't hesitate to return the hug. Marinette snuggled into his shoulder, enjoying the closeness as long as it was appropriate, enjoying his minty scent.

Oh, she was in deep with that boy.

:

Adrien was scared. Yesterday, he thought nothing of it, but now, standing in front of a dark hole, he felt shivers running down his spine. Their class got ushered to one of the few entrances to the underground labyrinth. A graveyard with a small chapel and an ominously dark staircase that lead underground. High iron gates were closing off the graveyard from the underworld.

The gates were open now and the darkness had already swallowed half their class. And Adrien was about to enter as well.

"Oh, Adrikins, I'm sure you'll protect me!"

And the worst: he was stuck with Chloé.

The teachers had paired their students into pairs and Madame Bustier had decided it was the best to pair him with the mayor's daughter. Or Chloé had threatened someone again. He wouldn't put it past her.

Sighing, he walked forwards, Chloé instantly latched on his right arm, her fingernails digging into his biceps painfully. Oh, the misery.

Throwing a last glance back, where Marinette stood with her partner, Mylène, he sighed again. With Marinette as a partner it would have been at least some kind of fun. Or he could have sneaked off and kissed her in the darkness of the tunnels, with no one ever knowing what happened. Then, Marinette would fall in love with him as well, they could marry and Marinette moves into the mansion and they could get-

"Oh, my, it's so awfully dark. Can't they turn on some light?" Chloé pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Chloé, here are no lights, that's why we were supposed to bring flash lights," Adrien shook his head and clicked on the flash light on his phone.

_Abandon every hope, who enter here._

A sign, hanging directly above them read and Adrien could barely suppress a shiver. Throwing Dante at them was a clever move.

"Can't they at least talk normally?" Chloé sniffed. "Urgh, they are so pathetic."

"It's from Dante," Adrien explained a bit exasperated. "The Divine Comedy. It just means that hoping will find death. And get your flash light out, Chloé."

"That's dumb. And I don't need a flash light, Adrikins, I got you, right?" she cooed and snuggled closer into his side. Great.

Grumbling, he continued to walk down the stairs, dragging Chloé behind. "Chloé, I can't protect you all the time. You were supposed to bring a flash light. What if we're being separated?"

"Oh, don't worry your pretty head," she purred, squeezing his arm painfully, "I won't let go of you."

"Oh, how lucky I am," Adrien murmured, definitely not intending that Chloé heard him. But that yellow devil seemed to pick up more than he would have guessed.

So, she only giggled and again squeezed his arm. "I know that," she purred.

:

Marinette was clutching to Mylène's arm as much as said girl was holding her like Marinette was everything that kept her from secure death.

The Catacombs were nothing new to Marinette, the darkness her friend. Under... normal circumstances. But right now, it was deafening, pressuring. Cornering Marinette to hold onto the only stable thing that was by her side: her friend Mylène.

Unfortunately, Mylène was even more scared than Marinette. She flicked her flash light in every corner, trying to get rid of the shadows all at once. But the flickering movements made everything even worse.

"Mylène?" Marinette whispered, glancing over her shoulder along the road they came.

"Marinette?"

"How long are we walking already?" she asks, frowning. "I mean, it's been quite some time since the last intersection and we haven't met a soul yet? Aren't second-years supposed to fill the tunnels with traps?"

Mylène visibly gulped and suddenly stopped flickering her light through the tunnel they came from. "I... I don't know... but... I was wondering..." she whispered, turning left and right. "I mean, there's this s- stone."

She gestured to a weirdly circular stone in the wall.

"What's with that stone?" Marinette whispered, fixing the thing with her eyes.

"It could be nothing, really," Mylène squeaked and shuffled closer to Marinette, flicking her light back into the tunnel. "But I could swear... we... already passed it...?"

"Really?" Marinette asked and stepped closer to the ominous stone, dragging Mylène behind.

Bending down, she intently stared at the stone. It was strange, really. Marinette knew the catacombs, there were all kinds of stones engraved into the walls. Bones, cobble, bricks, down to raw earth and wooden planks.

But that stone looked ominously out of place.

"Maybe we should destroy it?" Marinette suggested.

Mylène was anxiously looking around. "I don't know? Aren't stones normal?"

"Yeah," she murmured, roaming her fingers across the surface, "But there are usually no polished ones. The stones down here are raw, or intentionally placed, like brick, or the bones," she explained, ignoring Mylène's terrified squeak on _bones_, "but this one is different."

"Tha- that's why I...noticed it? Are there really walls made of bones?" Mylène squeaked and crouched down to Marinette's level, flickering her light even more rapidly through the hallway.

"It's okay, Mylène, I don't think we'll see much of them anyway," Marinette murmured, gently knocking against the stone. It wasn't hollow.

Humming, Marinette drew her knife that was always strapped to her thigh and scratched at the surface, drawing back when suddenly, there was a white flash and the ground crumbled beneath Marinette's feet.

Mylène was shouting, the world tumbling and turning around them and they were falling.

Marinette hit the ground painfully, her leg twisting under her weight. They haven't fallen far, but it was enough to tumble to the ground, protecting their heads in fear of falling rocks.

She needed a few seconds to get her bearings together, but when she blinked her eyes open, she found that they were trapped in the dark. Mylène was grunting somewhere to her left, rocks were everywhere around them and Marinette's right leg was hurting.

Huffing, she tried to sit up, dust was in the air, it was hard to breath. She needed to find her mobile back, get some light into the darkness surrounding them.

"Marinette?" Mylène called her name and suddenly some small light was breaking through the darkness. Mylène had found her light and was flicking it through the small chamber they were in.

"Here," Marinette grunted and quickly snatched her knife next to her and sheathed it back to her thigh. "What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Hey, can you... can you help me real quick?" Marinette waved and glanced around. "I need to find my mobile."

They quickly searched the piles for the device, finding it cracked and with a broken screen in between the rubble and dust. "Great."

"Have you something else?" Mylène asked, concerned about Marinette.

Humming, Marinette quickly pocketed her broken phone and quickly rummaged through her bag. It had been Adrien's idea to pack a survival bag, containing everything he deemed necessary. Marinette only wanted to pack her weapons and some water, but Adrien had insisted that she took the small bag and strapped it to her back.

Earlier, she hadn't had much time to rummage around, but it seemed, now she had to. And she was quite certain Adrien had thought to pack a spare flash light.

"Can you light for a second?" she asked Mylène, who was still anxiously glancing around. "Mylène?"

"Yeah," the girl squeaked. "But hurry. I don't think we should stay here any longer."

Mylène was quite the scaredy cat. Throughout the last year, Mylène was always a bit on the skittish side. She was scared of almost everything, even Ivan, who was a real sweetheart. But his rough and edgy appearance had frightened her from day one.

Really, Marinette loved her friends, but Mylène was not made for the dark and uncertain depths of the Catacombs.

"I'll be real quick, just light me some," Marinette murmured, glancing around. As far as Marinette could see, they were alone in some circular chamber. "No one's here."

"Are you certain? What if there's someone who can be invisible, like Sabrina?" Mylène squeaked, but crouched down to aid Marinette. "They could simply sneak up on us. Or someone who can travel through shadows? There's a boy some grades above, he once sneaked up on Rose," she whispered, her voice wavering.

"It's okay," Marinette tried to reassure her pulling her bag to the round. "I only need a second."

The bag wasn't overly large, it fit perfectly to her back without being overbearing. So, Marinette quickly zipped the top open and peeked inside. She had already seen a small blanket and some ropes when she had assessed the contents right before the beginning of the test. There was a bottle of water as well as the other bottle Marinette had brought.

Quickly pulling those obvious objects out of the bag, she rummaged around the smaller stuff at the bottom. A first-aid-kit, a small pocketknife, a lighter, some tape, and – Adrien is genius – a flash light.

"Got one," Marinette murmured and quickly pulled it out, flicking the switch at the bottom on _on_. The light was intense and _so much more_ efficient than the one on her phone. Damn Gouvernement with it's damn rich people with better lights.

Marinette quickly snatched the lighter and the tape out for safe keeping, stowing it onto her jacket, then went on packing all the other stuff back inside.

"Alright," she huffed, sliding the bag back onto her shoulders and picking up the flash. "Let's get away from here."

Turning around to face where she had thought Mylène to be, she found herself standing alone. "Mylène?"

Glancing around the chamber with her super flash light, she found only rubble and darkness.

"Mylène?"

Her only answer the rushing of the blood in her ears.

:

"... and then I told Sabrina to get the ice and can you imagine what she did?"

"She did what yo told her."

"Oh, my, _yes!_ Adrikins, you're totally reading my thoughts! It's like we're _made_ for each other!" Chloé gushed and fell into a fit of giggles, still clinging to his arm. Adrien was quite certain that his arm will fall off at some point, because Chloé was cutting his blood circulation.

_And_ she was nagging his ears off. So far, Adrien had detected two traps. One was too simple, a singular rope on the ground. Adrien had no clue what it did, but it was easy to manoeuvre Chloé around. The second was a bit trickier and he only noticed its presence because someone had already stepped into it, the spikes on both sides of the wall had successfully pierced some jacket.

Adrien had gently picked Chloé from the ground, giving her more reason to cling to his neck. Nearly choking, he had somehow carried her across the dangerous path.

It was weird, really, the traps seemed to be too easy, too much cliché to be really dangerous. He was quite certain everything was set up to lull them into a false sense of safety. However, he was barely able to figure out what the real trap was, because Chloé was constantly talking.

"However," Chloé continued her rant, "Jean-Jacque then ordered an entire sack and carried it to my suite. But that limp needed like forever. I was half tempted to make Sabrina help him as well, but she was _still_ busy getting some ice."

"That's unfortunate," he mumbled, already fed up with her, barely listening to _what_ the blonde rambled. He just had to throw in the occasional 'You don't say' or 'You're totally right' and she was happy.

Sighing, he flickered his light across the walls. Someone or something _had_ to safe him from Chloé.

:

"Mylène?" Marinette called again.

Huffing, Marinette took a last turn of the chamber. The circular hallway had only two entrances, both as dark as every other. Unfortunately, Marinette didn't know which one Mylène had taken.

Why she had gone in the first place was beyond her. Or Mylène was taken by someone, but Marinette had no clue where to even start the search. Fact is, Marinette was alone. And the path from where they came from, was out of her reach.

So, she had only two options. Take the hall on her right, or the one on her left. Huffing, she went to the right, simply because is was closer to her. The darkness was tight and it swallowed her. Marinette was no stranger to the Catacombs, she had often played in them as a kid. And later used them to get from one point to the other.

But now... it was different.

The air seemed to be darker, the tunnels tighter. There were traps around every corner, intent to make her fail.

So, with a gulp, she walked on, the light flickering through the tunnel ahead. "Mylène?" she called again, hoping to get a response. "Mylène, answer me! Where are you?"

Her own echo was the only thing that came back to her.

* * *

Anyone interested in hearing what I was up to? Well, for those, who aren't, I guess I'll see you next week and don't forget to PM me in case you want to be my stand-in Beta!

For those who ARE interested:

Well, I'm an art student. I don't know how the art-studying works in your country, but back here in good ol' germany, you can only study it in special schools where you have to go through an aptitude test to proove that you are indeed an artist or you have at least some talent.

However, that leads to a flock of people who KNOW that they are good at the stuff they do and want to show it around. I'm not excluding myself here, I know that I have talent, even though the confidence comes in bits with the environment, I guess?

Anyway, those flocks of artists want to showcast themselves, so our school is hosting a gigantic exhibition every year in summer. It's great though, every class hosts some kind of bar or food stand and there are always so many people around with music around every corner and I'm really looking forward to it every year. That's why I was somehow roped into work. Aside from the 2 gigantic projects I exhibited on my own (One was a panorama of the Safe Zone, haha, I was fooling around and my prof was so in love with it that she wanted me to finish it, btw), I was part of three other ones. The pressure of finishing these was holding me up weeks beforehand, but the actual exhibition was a gigantic mess as well.

I got some high praise for my panorama, played model for a fotoshoot (can't really recommend that) and had to walk miles the whole weekend and even got hit by a freaking car.

Last week was... I don't know what but I definitely don't want a repeat of it. I had a LOT of fun though and I wouldn't change it a bit, but... well, I don't want it again either. I have no clue of possible repercussions (namely the fotoshoot, I'm so scared of that one) and some of the conversations I had will totally backfire on me one day, but hey, the stress is over, I got some well deserved holidays and I hope you all aren't too mad at me being MIA, but real life goes first :P

Next chapter should be up soon! (I really need a Beta though :()


	15. Captured

HEYHO, PEEPS! I'm back with a new Beta! Lovely greetings to **HeredemAquam**, who was willing to edit this chapter :P Updates should come regularly again, whoo!

**Previously on Behind the Walls:** During their finals for the first year in AHS, the class has to take part in a dangerous game in the Catacombs...

* * *

Chapter 15: Captured

Adrien's muscles protested. There was no way he would be able to keep it up anymore. His arms shook heavily, his legs felt like pudding, and he could swear he got an aneurysm with how fast his blood was pulsing through his veins.

Don't get him wrong, he was very well trained and it was by far not the first time he had to strain his muscles until exaggeration. Really, he even enjoyed a good training session and always embraced the sore muscles afterward, knowing he had done something for his health and body.

But his current prediction was by far the _worst_ game fate could have played with him. What did he do to deserve this? His past life must have been a real asshole for him to be paired with Chloé.

That blonde brat was screaming his ears and head off, all the while clinging to his neck while he carried her through the dark tunnels, followed by something heavy and black. Adrien hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of _what_ they were running from exactly, it was just that Chloé, for the millionth time that day, was clinging to him, her nails digging into his scalp painfully.

His friend wasn't exactly heavy, but it was the overall running, carrying a _human being_, and getting his eardrums ripped apart by the siren next to his head that was making things overall overbearing.

He rounded a few corners until he was certain that their pursuer had left them, when he sat her down, huffing and wheezing.

"Oh, Adrikins, you're sweating. And you sound like an old hag," she complained, turning away from him. "Get a grip. That's not really flattering, you know?"

"Chloé," Adrien huffed, trying to get his breathing under control. The first few times he had to run them away from immediate danger, she had bothered to apologize, showering with compliments about his strength and endurance.

It was flattering and she made at least _some_ effort.

But even that seemed to grow old and tiring, even for her. For about thirty minutes by now, she was constantly complaining and whining how unfair everything was.

And it _was_ unfair. How he wished to be with Marinette right now. She was paired with Mylène and surely had a _ton_ of fun. She knew the catacombs like the back of her hand and Mylène was a friend of hers.

Why couldn't _he_ have some fun, for at least _once?_

Grumbling, he stood up straight, bending his spine until a satisfying _pop_ loosened the ache from running and carrying Chloé around. "Chloé!" he repeated and grabbed her wrist when she was about to head on. "You have to stop relying on me that much."

"Oh, Adrikins," she crooned and patted his shoulder. He noticed with glee that sweat seemed to keep her from latching onto him. "We all are here for a purpose, you know? I, personally, am here because I have to, to become mayor one day. I don't _need_ to get good grades. I obviously will, of course, but that's beside the point. _You_, Adrikins, are here to protect me and worship me. The others can do the rest, but _you_ are my knight," she giggled and sauntered off, her hips swishing and making her intentions clear.

"Now, come on, my knight, follow your princess," she giggled and stepped further down the hall.

Adrien had to suppress the urge to gag. If he ever had a princess to care for, it would be Marinette and in no universe, under any circumstances, it would be Chloé.

Shivering, he stepped after her, simply because he wanted this test to be over and get back to Marinette's side.

The flashlight bounced off the walls and reflected on Chloé's bright yellow jacket. They had barely walked five steps when a rumbling noise and screams filled the tunnel. Despite her earlier fear of his sweaty body, Chloé squeaked and clutched Adrien's arm, hiding behind his back.

Adrien stopped instantly and readied himself for an onslaught of whatever. He half entertained the idea of leaving Chloé behind and running back through the tunnel where they came from because there was no way he will carry her the entire way back.

The screaming grew louder, as well as the rumble, bouncing off the walls around them.

His muscles tensed, his hand gripping Chloé's hip in his back. When suddenly three of his classmates tumbled around a corner, running for their lives, he readied his stance.

Juleka gripped Kim's jacket who carried Mylène on his back and the three instantly headed for their direction. A gigantic rock filled the entire tunnel in their backs and followed them with massive speed.

Calling his Cataclysm, he felt the destructive power run up his arms, the fog dancing around his hand.

As soon as his friends had passed them, he raised his hand, widening is stance and prepared for the impact. Someone tugged at his jacket and backpack, but he didn't move.

The second his hand touched the rock, he felt the energy leaving his body, the rock crumbled to dust, but the brunt of the rock speeding towards him still threw him backward, and he tumbled back, the dust robbing him of his vision.

His foot caught on something and he fell backward with a yelp, Chloé squeaked and someone grunted when they all fell to the ground. Someone kicked at his thigh and his elbow hit something hard and limbs were everywhere.

Chloé instantly shrieked and shoved everyone off her, kicking into his rips painfully. "Get. _Off._"

"Chloé, wait, - Oof!" Kim began, but was interrupted, when Chloé kicked into his back to get him off her. Breathing heavily, Chloé scrambled to her feet and dusted off her clothes.

"Adrien, you ruined my trousers!"

Huffing, he gently untangled his limbs from his friends and stood up as well, helping Juleka to her feet.

"Chloé, we can wash them easily when we're back," Mylène tried to reassure her, but cradled a bloody knee to her chest, Kim kneeling next to her patting his back.

"Do you think it's _easy_ to get mud out of a _Gabriel_ _original?_" Chloé spat and tugged on Adrien's sleeve again. "Adrikins, let's leave them behind!"

Sighing, Adrien stepped forwards and kneeled next to Mylène as well, wanting to ask whether she is all right. That was the moment when he realized that it was _Mylène._ Mylène who had been with Marinette.

Dread crawled up his arms and down his spine, settling deep into his gut. When Mylène was here, with a hurt leg – where was Marinette?

"Hey, Mylène?" he hushed, his gaze flicking along with his flashlight around the tunnel. The dust was still settling, but it was clear that no one else was with them. "Where's Marinette?"

"Uh," Mylène blanched. "I don't know, sorry. We got separated."

"We found Mylène with some of the second years," Kim explained getting into position to host Mylène back up on his back. The petite girl gently grabbing his shoulders. "They had caught her and were holding her hostage."

"We stepped into a trap and Marinette was pulling stuff out of her bag, when I got grabbed from behind. One of them can walk through walls," Mylène muttered. "I panicked and gooed them to the walls. But I slipped. I must've been unconscious because when I woke up, Juleka and Kim had found me."

Kim laughed and adjusted Mylène's weight when he stood back up. "You guys should have seen the others! They were completely gooed up. One even hung on the ceiling!"

"We were about to search for Marinette, but we got lost," Mylène finished.

Huffing, Adrien glanced around. He had to find Marinette. Screw the test. He'll receive an E, but he didn't care as long as Marinette was safe.

"Well, we have to find her, but she's not back there," Adrien gestured behind their back where he and Chloé had come from.

"Ugh, I won't search for baker-girl," Chloé sneered and crossed her arms.

Sensing his chance to get away from her, he grinned. "No, you can stay with them, Chloé! I won't mind searching for her on my own."

"Yeah, you can stay with us!" Kim volunteered, flexing his biceps while holding Mylène up. "I can totally protect you!"

He could barely believe his luck. Kim _wanted_ to be with Chloé and Mylène and Juleka were too nice to say something. That was _his _chance to get away from her and search for _his_ princess. His Lady. Who was all alone and possibly in danger.

He really needed to get going.

"Great! Now, that that's settled, I'll be going! See ya guys!" he called and headed the way where the others had come from.

Juleka mumbled something when he passed her, Chloé shrieked and Kim called after him, but he barely listened to them, simply running ahead. His light bobbing up and down the walls and his backpack jostling on his back while he ran.

He only stopped at a crossroad, bending over and catching his breath. Now, that he got rid of Chloé, he had to find Marinette.

Somehow.

:

Marinette had _enough_.

First, she got separated from Mylène, then had to flee from an entire army of bats that must have been after her blood because she ran into a wall and banged her head. So, aside from a painfully throbbing leg from her fall down into that chamber, she had to shoulder a possible concussion. She had barely regained her sight, when she was dragged away and was now bound and gagged, her arms painfully pinned to her back.

She _hated_ the second years.

And she was not the only one. They had captured some few people from Marinette's year, most of them from other classes, but Marinette saw Lila, a furious Alix, and Sabrina was shivering at Marinette's back.

They sat in a huge chamber, god knows where. Three second years were guarding them, their snickers echoing around them. Then and now, some other guards came, bringing new prisoners.

Grumbling, Marinette glanced around. They had collected various bones they found in the tunnels and had built grotesque statues that stood in the shadows of the dimly lit hall, dead eyes watching them.

She needed a plan to escape.

The obvious plan would be to cut the rope binding her hands together, free her classmates and vanquish their captors. An easy three-phase plan.

The problem was, they had taken her knife and everything remotely sharp from them and had thrown them into a corner where they lay useless. Marinette had already tried some few rocks that had managed to find their way into her bound hands, but the rope was tight and the rocks not sharp enough.

With another huff that would have been a curse would she not have been gagged, she glanced around again. She needed something, _anything_ that could help her.

"M... Marinette?" Sabrina whispered from behind her. Marinette jumped, startled at hearing her name since they were gagged.

She turned around, glancing at Sabrina. The redhead had somehow shimmied her chin out of the gag, the cloth hanging loosely around her neck.

"I know you are clever. Do you have a plan?" Sabrina whispered. Marinette saw that Sabrina was incredibly scared. Her eyes were flickering from Marinette back to their captors.

Well, Marinette had a plan. It was not a really good one, but Sabrina didn't ask for that.

So she nodded.

"I guess you have to lose the ropes?" she whispered and again Marinette nodded, cocking her head to ask whether Sabrina had an idea how Marinette could get out.

"Wait a sec," Sabrina whispered and turned invisible. Suddenly, Marinette felt something tug on her bonds and then they were loose.

She didn't have time to be surprised, due to one of their guards noticing Sabrina missing and rushed over to them with a shout.

Okay, Marinette needed to rearrange her plan. She turned slightly to the side, so the guard couldn't see her move her hands and she gently tugged on her gag so she could move her mouth some bit.

"Sabrina, free the others," she hissed and prepared for a fight. Keeping her hands back behind her back to lull the guards into a false sense of safety, she blinked up at the boy innocently, tilting her head as if to ask whether something was wrong.

"Where's the redhead?" he asked and glanced around their huddled group.

Some other guard answered. "Rolo, remember, there's one that can turn invisible."

"Right," the guard, Rolo, nodded, eyeing the space where Sabrina had been. Not quite believing, he tried to feel Sabrina, his arm stretched above Marinette's shoulder.

That was her chance.

Grabbing his wrist with her one hand and his elbow with her other, she flipped him over her, slamming him to the ground. Hard. Ignoring his yelp and pained grunt, Marinette quickly brought her own elbow down on his head, rendering him unconscious.

One guard down, two more to go.

The other guards stood frozen by the entrance, eyes wide, too shocked to react in time. With a quick leap, Marinette was on the next one, wrenching the thigh-bone he had been playing with out of his hand and pushing him to the wall, the bone came down on the third's head, bringing her down too. The one who was currently pressed against the wall instantly raised his hands, protecting his head.

Marinette didn't plan on knocking him out. Instead, she spit out her gag and shoved it into the boy's mouth.

He yelped in surprise and coughed, but Marinette barely gave him time to recover, instead wrenching the bonds with her free hand from her own and readjusted her grip on him so she had both his arms pinned and bound behind his back.

"Woah, Marinette!" Alix exclaimed behind her back. Marinette flinched around, just in time to see most of her peers jog towards her.

"I didn't know you could be that badass!" she cackled and kicked one of the unconscious boys in the leg. "Where did you learn that?"

Luckily, she didn't have to answer, because the others bombarded her with "Thank you"s. Most of the teens were already hurrying off again, reminding them that they were on a tight schedule.

But Marinette didn't intend to get back into the labyrinth. She hadn't kept the guard awake out of generosity.

Despite keeping her prisoner, Marinette wasn't interested in revenge. She had a plan in mind. And if this little exercise showed her anything, it was that the second years would go to great lengths to keep them from finding the eggs.

Trapping them and holding them captive was one thing, but she doubted that that was the only step of their plan. She'd bet her secret identity on that.

If it had been _her_ task to stop the other grade from finding the golden eggs, Marinette would collect all the eggs she could find and hide them.

And because the whole thing was a grade-wide project, it was more than likely that the boy that was watching her with wide and scared eyes knew where they kept the eggs.

"What's the plan, Marinette?"

She whipped back to her classmates watching her with expectant eyes. Lila smirked at her, Alix was doodling something on a sleeping boy's face and Sabrina was cowering behind Lila. Some other kids had stayed as well, shifting through the discarded weapons in the other corner.

"I think I know what you are planning to do," Lila smiled and somehow, it sent a shiver down Marinette's spine. "He's a bait, right?"

"Well," Marinette started, glancing around the chamber again, searching for a good spot to drape their prisoner. "Kind of. They might have some eggs we can get from them?"

"Great plan, Marinette!" Lila gushed and stepped closer, offering her hand. "Let's work together and beat them in their own game!"

Okay, Marinette definitely got some weird vibes at her words. Normally, Lila wouldn't look at her twice. Now she was sucking up to her? That overly friendly 'teamwork' Lila was suggesting... didn't sit well with her.

But maybe Marinette was overreacting. Lila only may have had trouble fitting in. Marinette knew she was from Italy, only moved here some time before the Sorting. Maybe the other girl just had to find some friends.

Shoving the bad feeling into the back of her mind, she flashed her a hesitant smile and shook the offered hand.

"Sure, let's get out of here."

With a glance at the boy, she added. "But let's search for the eggs first. I'm sure they have them hidden somewhere close."

They had barely time for Marinette to collect her yoyo, knife, and bag and drag the still out cold guards and the struggling boy into the middle of the room when there were suddenly voices coming from the corridor.

The few teens quickly ducked out of the chamber, hiding in the shadows surrounding the entrance.

"I swear, we already had this girl," some boy grumbled. A girl answered him.

"Maybe twins? Or siblings? I don't care, but the fact is that our prisoners are _safe_. Rolo wouldn't have let them escape."

"Oh? I know you have a crush on him, but-"

"Shh! If he heard that I'm going to crush you."

The boy laughed, but it stopped instantly. The two had come closer and must have caught sight of the empty chamber. "What the-?!"

Hurrying steps alerted them for the closer coming students. Marinette exchanged a glance with Alix and they nodded.

It was crucial that the two students didn't see them. And just as expected, they hurried past their hiding place.

"Fuck!" the boy exclaimed while the girl cried her crush's name.

There was a muffled shout and some hurried steps. Eventually, their captives voice turned from grunts into clear words. "Quick! They can't be far! They're after the eggs!"

There was some more cursing, shuffling, and arguing about who was to stay with the unconscious and eventually, the two boys left the chamber, leaving the girl behind.

Marinette ducked tightly into the shadow when they hurried past.

Exchanging a glance with Alix, who nodded, tightened her grip on Sabrina's waist and were off, invisible and running after their captors.

Marinette waited a few seconds and gestured to Lila and the other's to follow. Quickly hurrying after, Marinette was careful to keep her breathing steady, her feet light.

Her classmates tried to keep up but weren't as stealthy as Marinette. But Marinette had counted on that, that's why only Alix and Sabrina were following close behind the boys that were leading them to their prize.

Eventually, they reached a crossing and a girl from Madame Mendeleiev's class pointed to an arrow in the tunnel to their right. It had been Lila's plan to mark the corridors so the rest of their group could follow. With Alix' speed and Sabrina's invisibility, it was no problem.

Following the lead, they hurried onwards.

Only a few more crossings and they walked into Sabrina and Alix, who stood casually against a wall, glancing back into a dark hallway again and again.

"They are in there," Alix whispered. "And you were right."

"Great," Lila smirked next to Marinette. "What's the strategy to ambush?"

"Don't know," Marinette shrugged. "Have you seen how many are in there?"

"Six," Sabrina nodded proudly. "Including the two that we followed. They have some weapons, but nothing overly dangerous. The problem might be Stella though. She can create copies of objects and we don't know which of these eggs are actually real."

"Any way to find out?"

"Well, she gifted Chloé with a bracelet once and the piece fell apart after a few hours, so I guess we won't know until they are expired, I guess."

"Alright," Marinette nodded, glancing around their group. "Then we simply have to take all of them."

"'All of them'?" echoed a girl Marinette didn't know. "How many are there?"

Sabrina fidgeted, her gaze flicking from Marinette to the girl and back.

"Quite a few, I'm not certain whether it would be possible to carry all?"

Sighing, Marinette shrugged. "Has anyone a better idea? Other than playing Russian Roulette?"

Glancing around, she saw that neither had another plan.

"Maybe each can take like, five?" Lila suggested. "That way we got a better chance than simply taking one each, but won't have to carry all?"

"That's our best chance, I guess," Marinette nodded. "We can give a few of them to others as well. There's no need to hog them simply because we raided their stash. And we still got a few hours, we can search for some more eggs as well."

The group nodded with various stages of eagerness.

"Alright, let's go," Marinette whispered and took out her yoyo. "Sabrina, Alix, lead the way."

The two girls walked ahead, Marinette directly behind them, the others following.

Their plan was to take out or bound the guards, grab some eggs and get away before others could arrive.

It was another easy three-phase plan, but like the other one, this one failed as well.

It seemed the guards had awaited their arrival, so as soon as they stepped into the light of the chamber, they stepped into an ambush.

Sabrina was the first to be pulled aside, her shriek echoing off the walls and then, she was gone, pulled from the chamber by the kid that could walk through walls. Alix could barely dodge, her speed being the only thing that was saving her.

Fortunately, Marinette managed to outstep the grabbing hands, but she tumbled into one of the guards that were directly behind her.

With a quick flip of her wrist, she tripped the boy that grabbed after her as well, the two tumbling to the ground. There was some struggling where someone hit her head quite hard with their elbow, making the room spin for a few seconds. Still, she pinned another guard to the ground.

She barely had time to recover when someone pushed her off the boy and she crashed into the next wall. Marinette gritted her teeth and swung her yoyo, her device latching around someone's wrist.

Tugging on the limb, she tripped one blonde girl and pulled her into the pile.

The confusion gave her enough time to get back to her senses. Without wasting any more time, she pushed herself to her feet, assessing the situation.

They couldn't carry all the eggs that were lying in a pile across from them. There were about a hundred golden eggs, glinting in the light of the flashlights and torches surrounding them.

Lila and two other girls from their group were already stuffing some in their pockets, glancing back to the struggling peers.

Marinette gritted her teeth, blocking a blow one of the guards threw at her. "Lila!" Marinette called. "Take as many as you can, we have to separate and share!"

Without waiting for a response, she ducked and pulled the guard off his feet, already preparing to block the boy she had captured earlier.

With a grunt, she caught the fist that was thrown to her head and flicked it around, the boy shouting in agony as his joint got twisted in the wrong direction.

She shoved him against a wall, where his head collided painfully with the stone. Marinette turned, spotting the other guard charging at her again.

He grabbed her around her waist, pulling to the ground. Marinette's back ached. She just wanted to grip her yoyo and smash it into his face, when he grabbed her wrist, twisting it, so she dropped her weapon with an angry cry.

Her muscles and joints protested with the harsh handling, the boy straddling her waist. She needed to get him off.

Pulling all her strength into her hips, she managed to flip them into the direction he had pulled her wrist, freeing her.

Suddenly, something hit her shoulder painfully and with a yelp of surprise, she got tugged back, her jacket being caught in something. There were strong arms pinning her elbows to her waist and rendering her immobile.

Someone had caught her from behind and was holding her captive. The boy she had been wrestling with laughed breathlessly and it sent shivers down Marinette's spine.

Her captor breathed down her neck. He reeked like sweat and the damp smell of the catacombs. Marinette tried to break free, wrestling at least one arm from the stronghold, but all she managed was for the guy to hold her even tighter.

"Woah, don't struggle so much, little one," her captor grunted. "We won't do anything to you, you don't have to be scared."

"I'm not scared," Marinette spat, trying to assess the situation. "But I'm quite certain holding us captive is against the rules."

"No, girly," the boy in front of her sniffed and touched his nose which was leaking some blood.

"Rules just said somethin' 'bout no mining and such. Otherwise, we can keep you from findin' eggs as much as we like. Damn," he sniffed again, "You really did a number on some of us."

Marinette stopped struggling and glanced around. They were still in the hallway, the light of the torches barely illuminating their surroundings, but aside from them, there was only one blonde girl crouching in front of one of Marinette's group Marinette didn't know. The girl was tying the other first year up, who was slumped against the wall, unconscious.

The rest of the guards had most likely run off after Marinette's fleeing classmates. She just hoped they had managed to gather _some_ eggs that won't dissolve.

"You okay, girly?"

"Fine," Marinette spat and tried to struggle some more against the hold, but eventually resigned herself to staring aggressively at the boy with the bloody nose. He only nodded and headed to the cave where they kept the eggs.

"You know," he captor sighed. She could feel his breath on her neck. "Last year was horrible. They went against the 'no-mining rule' and we got trapped in some tunnels for hours. You are lucky that we're in control. The isolation was awful."

With a huff, Marinette had to admit they were right. Sure, it was quite unfair and frustrating as hell, but she couldn't really fault them.

"Here, got a rope," Bloody Nose called and came back out into the hall. "Now, hold still, girly, 'm goin' to tie ya."

Smirking, Marinette shrugged but kept her gaze firmly locked on Bloody Nose. If he thought she'd play easy, they were wrong.

He seemed to realize the same as he stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

"Careful," the girl from the hall warned. "She was the one who knocked the other's out."

"Should we... like... knock her out too?" her captor asked and Bloody Nose was visibly at unease.

"Oh, you could try," Marinette grinned. The hold around her arms had visibly loosened the longer they stood still and she guessed the uncertainty was eating at the boy in her back as well, so in only a few seconds, she could attempt another breakout.

She just needed to scare them some more and a nice distraction.

"I mean," she shrugged, testing the hold. "It's not exactly easy, you know? I'd hate to have a concussion afterward, in case you hit too hard. Or you know, it could bleed an awful lot when you hit in the wrong angle. But if you're too gentle, you couldn't knock me out at all and still get all the blood and such. The head is a nasty place, really."

The three students exchanged worried glances. They all might be great fighters and they surely deserved their place in AHS, but they must have barely fought another human being. Their classes were combative, sure, but it mainly teaches you how to fight off Akuma and powers.

The Safe Zone was a far greater teacher.

"I could show you, though. I don't want to wake up looking like a slaughtered hen, right?"

The grip around her loosened some more, and now, she only needed a nice distraction. She was glad that her captors we're gullible. It made it far easier for her to escape.

And her nice distraction was just running around the corner, skidding to a halt when he caught her gaze. Blond hair glinted in the low firelight and Marinette had a second to appreciate the sight when the three students surrounding her jostled out of her stupor, having seen Adrien a second too late.

The time they needed to get back their bearings was all Marinette needed. She quickly slipped her right arm out of the grip around her and her elbow connected with a sick crunch to her captor's jaw.

He yelped and his arms fell from her waist. She was free. She tackled Bloody Nose to the ground again and was quick to hit his head to the stone below, rendering him unconscious.

She just wanted to turn to the remaining girl but stopped when she saw that Adrien was already pressing his staff against the girl's shoulders, her hands raised in surrender.

"I won't do anything," she whimpered with tears in her eyes. "Please, just... tie me up or something, I won't try anything funny, I promise, just don't hurt me."

Marinette exchanged a glance with Adrien and he shrugged. Quickly grabbing the fallen rope, Marinette quickly tied the girl's hands at her back and dragged her into the chamber.

There was still an awful lot of eggs inside and they asked her whether she knew if any of those are genuine. She shook her head and explained that Stella, the girl with the doubling power had taken all the genuine eggs to another chamber that this one here was supposed to be a trap.

The two quickly took care of their classmates outside who were just coming back to their senses but were otherwise fine. Then, they bolted away from the area, approaching footsteps making them wary of their surroundings.

They turned around some corners, without really knowing where they went, when Adrien suddenly stopped and pulled Marinette into his arms. With a huff, she drew her arms around his torso, snuggling into the warmth he provided.

"I was so scared," Adrien admitted, mumbling into her jacket. "When I saw Mylène without you-"

"You saw Mylène?" Marinette interrupted him. "Where is she? Is she good?"

"Wh... yeah," Adrien sighed and loosened his grip around her shoulders, without letting go of her. "Yeah, she's with Kim and Juleka."

"Good," Marinette sighed. She wanted to enjoy the moment, but now was not the time to get all snuggly. And he reeked like sweat. So Marinette drew away from him and sniffed.

"You stink," she giggled and covered her face.

"Sorry, your majesty, I didn't exactly have time for my bath in rose petals and milk of baby goats between running and fighting underground," he snickered.

"I don't think that baby goats give milk," she gasped for air, the laughter making it hard to get air into her lungs.

He laughed along with her, slumping against the wall in his back, drawing his head back in laughter.

It wasn't even that funny and even though they had no time to spare, the laughter managed to lift a little stress off her shoulders. The hours had taken a toll on her and the uncertainty had been eating at her.

But with Adrien, she felt secure again, felt like they could get out of here easily. With Adrien at her side, things can't be so bad.

When their laughter died down some, Marinette took her time to look him over. There were some scratches on his face, looking like had run into a wild cat. There were bags under his eyes and his hands shook of exhaustion. Somewhen during the last few hours, he must have stepped into something deep and nasty, his boots and trousers up to his knees was drenched and sticky with something brown with muddy clumps.

The maze was clearly working him down.

"Adrien, are you okay?"

He only hummed and let his gaze wander over her.

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay," she promised.

Sure, she could really use a shower and a long bath in the sun, only to get the darkness out of her bones, but her body felt fine. She knew she had received several blows to her knees and head, but she honestly felt fine. Her powers seemed to work great.

"Come here, let me try to help you," she said and tugged at his sleeve. He stepped closer and Marinette concentrated. She had yet to repeat the wonder she had done on Adrien when he had been struck by the lightning, her powers still refusing to show what they could do to others.

But she felt so content right now, wanting to help him, she had the feeling it might work this time.

Marinette gently cupped his cheeks and closed her eyes, she felt the sparks surrounding them, the warmth of her hands.

It was only a few seconds when Adrien chuckled.

"Your sparks are tingling."

"Oh hush," she smiled and opened her eyes meeting Adrien's gentle green. Seeing the scratches still present on his cheekbones, she frowned in displeasure, but Adrien's eyes widened. "Wow," he exclaimed. "The headache's gone. You're getting better at this!"

"Really?" she asked, stepping back to assess him.

"Yeah," he laughed, rubbing atop his head. "I crashed into a wall earlier and had a massive headache since. It's gone now."

Humming, she glanced around, her cheeks tinting pink. Maybe she really was getting better.


	16. Cold

A huge shoutout to my Beta **HeredemAquam** 3

**Previously on Behind the Walls**: The finals on AHS are running and the second years are giving our heros a hard time.

* * *

Chapter 16: Cold

"Okay, do you know where we are?" Adrien asked, biting into the apple he had taken out of his bag.

They were currently huddled into a small chamber, taking a rest. He had been hungry and Marinette was currently downing one of her water bottles.

"Not really," she admitted, leaning over the map Adrien had displayed on his mobile.

Before the test, Max had installed an app on all of their mobiles, wanting to map the Maze. Originally, it had been so they could find back out again and get to help others. No one has ever forbidden them to work together. But the thick walls and the massive amount of earth over their heads refused to let any kind of GPS through. So they didn't really know where they were located, but the system to map everything out was still working because Max with the server in tow was down here as well and used some kind of infrared signal. It had been all technical gibberish for Marinette, so she didn't exactly know a lot of how it worked, but they had a map and that was at least something.

Nibbling at a granola bar, she shuffled closer to Adrien to have a look. They had set a small camp, sitting on one of the blankets, sharing snacks behind a rock to have some cover, should someone enter their cave. Adrien's flashlight lay discarded next to him while he tried to squint at his screen.

"Do you recognize anything?"

"No," he grumbled. "I mean, we could be here somewhere," he said, zooming into some corner, a few caves were mapped, but also a lot of unmapped terrain, unventured halls and crossways. "I guess that would be our best bet, but I know for certain that this tunnel here," he scrolled to another section not far off, "has collapsed and that would be our only way back to more known tunnels."

"So we have to take unknown turns and hope for the best?" Marinette suggested, picking a raisin from her bar. "And don't forget that we still need to find two eggs."

Huffing, Adrien nodded and zoomed back out of the section they thought they were in, studying possible ways out.

They had decided that the two will find the eggs for their groups. One, because Adrien doubted Chloé would really be of any use, so it was his task to find the egg from the beginning, and two, because Marinette felt responsible for leaving Mylène behind. Knowing how scared the girl could get, she doubted Mylène would find one on her own.

"What did Madame Bustier say again where the eggs are?" Marinette asked glancing around their cave.

"Hidden away, in caves and chambers. I doubt there's one in every one, though."

Humming, Marinette let her flashlight bounce around their cave. "You said there were some nearby, you think it would be of use checking them?"

"We can try, but it would be more helpful if I actually knew where we were," he sighed and shut his mobile. "I mean, we could wander around some time and try them, but at least five people had been around here already and I doubt they leave any behind. Add in the fact that the second years seem to hoard them, we're kind of lost."

They settled back against the rock, their shoulders touching. They didn't talk for a few minutes, but the silence wasn't incredibly bad. Marinette wanted to savor the calm, but they had barely two hours left of their task.

"Alright," she sighed and pushed back to her feet, collecting their trash and simply stuffed it into her bag. "We have to get going."

Adrien was silent, but when she looked at him, she found him already watching her.

"Marinette?" He looked tired, but a small smile graced his lips. "When this is over, do you want to visit me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean," he shrugged, "You've never been to Gouvernement before, right? And it's summer, I could get father to sign a slip and you could come over and we can play Ultimate Mecha Strike or fool around some bit in our pool."

Averting her eyes, she tried to hide her flushed face. How could he – in the middle of an agonizingly tricky test – think of something like this? She wasn't prepared to visit Gouvernement in the foreseeable future. Sure, they had a few weeks off now, but she doubted it would be that easy to visit Gouvernement for someone like her.

"We'll... we'll see, okay? Let's just get out of here."

"Great!" Adrien beamed at her and got to his feet. "I could show you around! You showed me so much of the Safe Zone, now I could show you where _I_ grew up. It's nothing really exciting, though," he bubbled as he was collecting his bag and helping Marinette to stand properly. "But I know some few places you'd like. Have you ever been close to the Eiffel Tower? The view is _fantastic_ from above."

Giggling, she patted his arm, not telling him that she didn't think she would ever be able to visit him.

Adrien was babbling some more of what he planned, occasionally flicking his gaze to his mobile to try to get any lead of where they were and Marinette let his voice wash over her head and simply followed him whenever he thought they had to take another route.

Eventually, they were faced with a dead end.

"Great," Adrien huffed and glanced around.

With a sigh, Marinette slumped against the wall, knocking her head against the stone. They had walked for quite some time without coming to any crossings. There were a few caves but all of them had been empty and now they were stuck, having to walk the entire way back. It would be at least thirty minutes to get to the last crossing, meaning, they didn't have much time left afterward.

Groaning, Adrien slumped down next to her, crouching down and placing his face into his knees, ruffling his hair. "How could it be _that_ difficult to find something?"

"Don't know," Marinette shrugged, letting her flashlight bounce across the walls while Adrien tried the map again.

"Wait," Adrien suddenly said and quickly fiddled with his phone. "I guess I know where we are," he murmured, glancing around. "We turned around that corner over there and it was kind of a 180 degree one, right?"

"Yeah? What's the matter?"

"There's one looking quite familiar here where I thought we were, I can try to Cataclysm the wall, there must be another hallway right on the other side," Adrien murmured and glanced at the wall in his back. "If I'm correct it could spare us a good forty minutes of walking. And there's a crossroads not far from there."

"Cool," Marinette grinned and stepped closer. "Is the wall thick?"

"Not necessarily," Adrien shrugged and pulled the sleeves of his hoodie up to his elbows. "But I don't want you to get hurt by falling rocks, so please," he winked, "step back and enjoy the show."

Snickering, Marinette took Adrien's flashlight and lighted him. He took a deep breath and let the darkness sprawl across his forearms. Marinette watched, intrigued, admiring the swirling pattern his power was creating on his arms. It always reminded her of some kind of tattoo.

As soon as Adrien felt he had gathered enough energy, he gently placed his hands against the wall.

Through the light of their flashes, Marinette could see the dark fog crawl from his arms into the stone, dark cracks spreading from where he stood.

:

"Urgh, I can't _believe_ you!" Alya shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. She clutched her golden egg tightly in her hands, her muscles shivering from exhaustion and rage.

"Please, Alya, listen to me-"

"No," she hissed, flinging around to spat at the boy following her. "I don't want to hear what you have to say!" She whipped around again and stomped off. There had been a chamber somewhere, maybe she could hide inside until the test was over. Then, she'd never have to see Nino again.

"You can't just run away!" he shouted, sounding aggravated.

"Watch me!" she shouted back and turned around the corner, trying to find that damn cave.

Sure, Alya had gotten better in the last few weeks. Her heart didn't try to combust every time she saw Marinette and the pressure behind her eyes had faded whenever she thought of her best friend. Loneliness had replaced the flutters in her stomach, sinking dread and angst the anger of being rejected.

She wanted to have her best friend back. She knew that. Nino knew that. Everyone knew that that wasn't the problem. Once this damn test was over, there would be nothing to keep her away from Marinette to apologize and get her best friend back. Sure, she needed some more time to get over her actual crush on her, especially if she decided to spend more time with Adrien, but she thought it would get better eventually as long as they didn't make a great fuss over it.

The problem Nino had found was something entirely else, though.

Aside from her miserably failing love life, Alya was scared. Incredibly scared.

She had barely passed the tests in the last few weeks, barely slipping past the line of having to leave the school. The first year was crucial in AHS and Alya had managed to fail most of it. Her grades had never been worse and she _needed_ to pass the Maze.

She had found an egg, sure, but had wrestled Nino, who had _not_ seen it first, simply so she could get it. Alya had dumped her partner, Max, the second they had entered, telling him they could cover more ground separated and was on her own the entire time. She had dodged enough traps and grabbing hands, nearly falling victim to some second years who tried to capture her.

You should have heard their screams after Alya projected a level 6 Akuma into the hallway. Surely all of the second grade was convinced there were Akuma lurking in the hallways, especially after it mutated into her to-go tactic whenever she encountered them.

Sighing, Alya stopped and slumped against the wall, looking at the egg cradled in her arms. The golden gem was about the size of a mango, resting gently in her hands and reflecting the light of her flash.

There were carvings across the smooth surface, swirling patterns that made no sense but were beautiful to look at. It just rested there, innocently glimmering and mocking her.

With a groan, she bent forwards, pressing the egg into her stomach. She didn't deserve this, she knew it. It had been Nino's egg and she had been the ass of the century to rip it from him.

Well, not literally, he was only grabbing for it and Alya had been faster, snatching it away before he could even touch the smooth metal, but it definitely felt like she had ripped it out of his cold, lifeless fingers.

Alya was an awful friend, really. Nino had been the only one to be at her side all throughout the last months. Her only friend in her exile.

Glancing back into the tunnel, she debated whether she could still get back to him. Alya might be impulsive and rash, but she wasn't mean. She was one of the good guys and it was time to act like that.

"Nino?" she called back and straightened up, walking back. "Nino, I'm sorry." Alya turned the corner again and was met with a dark and empty hallway. Great. "Nino?" she called again, this time a bit louder.

"What?!" an angry voice answered, his echo bouncing around the hallway. "Want to steal my phone too? My bag, maybe?"

"No, Nino, I'm sorry," she called and walked ahead from where she thought sounded his voice. "You can have the egg."

"Really?" he asked, his head popping out of the cave they had found the egg. Upon seeing her, his eyes narrowed. "Is this a trap of some sorts?"

Huffing, Alya rolled her eyes. "No, I mean, what should I gain out of tricking you?"

"I don't know," he murmured. "My eternal soul? I can't be entirely certain with you."

"Don't be ridiculous," she huffed and shoved the egg into his arms. He fumbled a bit around and then glanced from the egg to her, to the egg and back to her.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes," she stressed and turned away to walk off again. "I just have to find another one, no big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal," Nino said, following her. "You have to leave if you don't pass, right?"

"I won't fail, then," Alya shrugged, walking onwards. "I'm going to pass." She had to.

She heard a huff and instantly, Nino was with her again, walking by her side. He struggled to pack the egg into his rucksack and Alya watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you," Nino grunted and finally managed to shove the egg into an opening. He closed the bag tightly and grinned at her. "I have time now, I can easily help you and two people see more than one alone."

"Don't you have a partner to return to?" she asked, quite confused. Why would Nino help her? She had been awful to him mere seconds ago.

But Nino only shrugged. "Well, I don't know where Nath is, so no, not really. We got separated some time ago and I'd rather walk with you than running around like a headless chicken."

"Alright," Alya shrugged. Maybe some company would be good and get her back on track. Nino was an ass, but he was okay most of the time. And if Alya was honest, he only got on her nerves when he was right with something Alya didn't want to see.

They walked in silence for a few paces when Nino struck up a conversation. "So," he asked, "What has gotten you so aggravated? You've seemed tense the last few weeks."

"Aside from finals and my Marinette problems?" she scoffed and averted her gaze. "There were some problems in the Safe Zone that were really stressing me out. But nothing I couldn't manage."

"You should have asked Adrien for help. He's always thankful to get in contact with the gangs, however much I'm telling him he should let them be."

Shrugging, Alya busied herself with her phone, drawing up Max's map. "I don't know, I'm not really feeling comfortable when he's around."

"Understandable," Nino hummed. "But he's a good guy, you know?"

"Yeah," she sighed. Alya knew Adrien wasn't half as bad as she portrayed him sometimes. Ever since he had accompanied her to the Bulldogs and the Dragons, they were friendlier with her. Especially the German's. They had been really helpful these past few weeks, only because she was 'friends' with Chat Noir.

And Adrien _could_ be funny sometimes.

"I'm certain you'd like him quite well if you gave him a chance." As if she didn't know that already.

Thankfully Nino averted the topic any further and jumped back to what they had been talking before. "What I meant to say is that everyone seems to be more tense lately, do you know why?"

"No," she groaned. "But they are giving me a hard time as well. From one day to the other, they are suddenly cool and distant. One evening I could have a jolly time with some of the Vikings, and the next day, they are looking at me like I have murdered one of them," she shook her head.

"I really don't get it. But others from the crew seem to have a hard time as well, I don't understand why they would suddenly endanger the balance in the Safe Zone like this. There were more fights in the past month than I had last year. It really creeps me out, something is up."

Nino hummed. "I noticed something similar. My parties are getting crashed more often than they take place. And fewer people are coming every week. Luka and I think it might be better to not host anymore until the Zone is more stable."

"You're probably right," Alya whispered, watching Nino from the side. After a few seconds of silence, she changed the topic. "I always wanted to ask you: How comes you are the Bubbler? I have heard of you, but I never knew it was you. Don't you have to be like, fifty years old? I remember my mama talking that she went to the parties the Bubbler hosted."

Laughing, Nino shook his head and adjusted his cap. "No, the Bubbler goes back a few more decades. And it wasn't always me. But that's a secret I can't tell," he winked and the mirth in his eyes made Alya actually laugh.

But soon, their laughter got interrupted by shaking walls. Nino shrieked and Alya yelped and they tumbled to the ground, protecting their heads as small rocks and so _much_ dust rained down on them, leaving them coughing and struggling to breathe.

Something was yelling in agony and broke through the wall next to them.

Alya was barely able to get her bearings together when someone called their names. "Nino! Alya!"

:

As Adrien touched the wall in front of them, he felt the stone dissolve under his hands, his power traveling through the little fissures in the stone, cracking them open, spreading them. He only stopped when he thought the hole was wide enough.

Waving away the dust in front of him, he glanced through and was met with an empty cave.

"Huh?" he asked with a frown. There should have been a hallway.

"Adrien? What is it?" Marinette asked sounding a bit concerned.

"Nothing," he murmured and stepped through the wall. "I mean, we're obviously not where I thought we'd be, but I guess it's better than having to go back the entire way?"

With a hum, Marinette followed him through the hole, flicking the flashlights around the cave. "Is that a lake?"

And indeed, up ahead of them was a shimmering dark mass, the light reflecting off of the calm surface. "Nice," he laughed and stepped closer, taking his flashlight back from Marinette. "You think we can take a bath?"

"I wouldn't want to do that. Who knows how long it's been sitting here. There's probably some bacteria in there that'll make you very sick."

"You might be right," he sighed, eyeing the water. The dark, endless void wasn't really looking appealing anyway. "And I guess it's freezing. But it would be cool. An underground lake, only the two of us, M'Lady," he flirted and winked behind his back. "No one would see us."

"And no one would save us should a creature waiting to pull our feet after centuries of lying asleep, waiting for their next meal."

Adrien laughed and let his flashlight roam over the lake once more. That was, when something shimmering caught his eye, just below the surface.

"Uh, Mari?" he asked, flicking his light back to the spot, catching the golden shimmer again.

Marinette had ventured further, exploring the cave. "Don't tell me you found Atlantis," Marinette joked, but didn't look at him.

"No, Mari, but I guess I found something else, look."

This time, Marinette turned around with a frown and followed his gaze over to the lake. "Is that-?"

"I don't know? I mean, it might be possible?"

The golden shimmer had a distinct round shape, even though it was deformed of the water and Adrien felt really uncomfortable thinking that they had to dive in. He liked to joke about taking a bath, but Marinette had been right. It wasn't the best idea. Especially because there was no way of knowing how deep it was or what else was lying in the dark depths. Be it microscopic or extremely sharp. Adrien had been windsurfing once and hadn't thought of bringing shoes. His feet were cut all over because of shells and rocks that were hidden in the mud. It's probably a similar situation.

Adding possible open wounds to unknown substances flowing in there for who knows how long, he really didn't want to explore the lake.

Marinette seemed to have the same thoughts because she went paler with every second. "Adrien? There is only one egg per team, and the chances that we stumble upon another one are decreasing with every minute."

Cursing, Adrien eyed the lake again. They _needed_ the egg.

"Okay, I'll go," Marinette huffed and began to pull off her shoes.

Flailing to her side, Adrien stopped her. "No way, I'm letting you in there! Can you even swim?"

"No, but it can't be that hard? And in case you forgot, I can't get overly hurt and sick. My power would prevent that. You, on the other hand, are already hurt," she gestured to his face where the cuts still stung his cheek, "And you don't have to worry about your grades. My egg, my dive."

Huffing, Adrien rolled his eyes. She was wrong on so many levels. "First of all: I planned on giving you the egg either way. Second: swimming _is_ hard. Especially if you don't know what is below your feet. You can't just flail your arms and hope for the best in an underground lake that gives no clue about his depths. I at least know how to swim. Your power may heal any kind of injury, but I doubt it will revive you when you're drowning.

"And because you _will_ drown, I have to get in as well to save you and get the egg, so we can skip the part in the middle and let me dive in. In case I get hurt or sick, you can just use your power again and I'll be as good as new."

"Who says I'm going to drown?" she rebutted, crossing her arms.

"I do. Because I know how hard swimming can be. I know what to expect. Underwater currents? Stones and sharp edges? Do you even know how to keep your breath properly or look underwater? No, so let me go."

He wasn't waiting for her answer, instead shrugging off his backpack and hoodie. He had left his jacket at home, fearing it would tear. Adrien quickly stepped out of his muddy boots and socks. He shivered as his bare feet hit the cold ground.

Turning back to Marinette, he looked at her expectedly. She had her gaze averted and bit her lower lip. She knew Adrien was right with the swimming part.

"Hey, look at me," he murmured and stepped in front of her. "Nothing will happen, alright? It's like a giant pool. Nothing I don't know."

"Please be careful, okay?" she murmured and caught his gaze.

Adrien only smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Will do, Princess," he smiled and quickly worked on his pants to get out of them as well.

"What are you _doing?!_" Marinette suddenly screeched and when he looked up, he saw her standing there with her face beet red. It made him flush as well.

"I... I need dry clothes when I get out, Mari," he murmured, feeling uncomfortable.

Her little "Oh" got drowned out by the rushing in his ears when he quickly yanked his trousers down and threw them over to his boots. Trying not to think too much of it, he quickly pulled his shirt over his head as well and reverted to his only coping mechanism in uncomfortable situations. Jokes and flirting.

"At least you get can tell anyone you've seen Adrien Agreste naked," he joked and spread his arms, his voice more wavering than he liked to admit.

"_Please,_" Marinette squeaked, hiding her face in her hands. "Oh god, please, let your boxers on."

He didn't intend to pull them off, he liked to have _some_ decency, but her reaction was adorable. At least it gave him some hope that she _might_ find him attractive.

Chuckling nervously, he stepped closer to the water, wanting to mess with her. "You could just peek and have a look, Mari."

She grumbled something but had her face still hidden in her hands. "Go," she eventually spat and raised her face, her skin blotchy red and eyes shining with a crazy glimmer. "Or I swear, I'm going to shove you."

"Okay," he snickered, raising his hands in defeat. "Just light the way, please."

Honestly, Adrien couldn't wait to get back into his clothes. It had already been chilly before, but he had barely felt it most of the time, adrenaline had been pumping through his veins and he had been running so much, he had barely had any time to get cold. But now, his sweat had dried, leaving him cold and shivering, the adrenaline long gone and with his warming hoodie out of the equation as well, he felt more than just naked.

The cold was already creeping under his skin and he hadn't even touched the water.

And he was right to expect even worse because the water was _freezing_. He shivered uncontrollably when he was even knee-deep inside.

"You okay?" Marinette asked a few paces in his back and he really had to concentrate to not let his teeth clatter when he responded.

"Fine. I'm cool," he joked and Marinette's groan warmed at least some part in his chest.

He waded further inside and the rocks under his feet turned slippery. Moss and algae began to grow in chunks and he struggled to find solid footing. He didn't want to go all-in yet, preserve as much warmth as possible.

But finding something to stand on was more difficult than he thought because the icy water had turned his feet numb, the pinpricks settling to a dull throbbing that really didn't feel healthy with the loss of any feeling in his limbs.

Soon, the water reached his undergarment and soaked the fabric, the cold creeping into parts he never wanted to _be_ cold.

He couldn't suppress the curse flittering out of his mouth when a wave he had created through some stumbling reached up to his navel.

"Adrien?"

"I'm fine," he called back, not really managing to keep the shivering out of his voice. "I'll most likely catch pneumonia though," he laughed awkwardly. He was so awfully cold.

His laughing disrupted his carefully crafted balance though and with his numb feet, he got caught on something and stumbled forwards, his feet not managing to get him upright in time and he fell forwards into the cold lake.

He managed to close his mouth after the startled gasp though, because his head suddenly dunked completely underwater, the cold surrounding him. It felt like there were icicles in his lungs when he eventually resurfaced, spluttering and shaking the water out of his face.

"Adrien!" he heard Marinette's panicked call, her light washing over his face. "What happened?!"

"L... lost my foot'n', 's all," he coughed and glanced around. He needed to get to the egg as soon as possible. "W... where's egg?" he shivered glancing around.

"Over there," Marinette gestured further down the lake. And indeed, he saw the golden glimmer a bit further down the road. His feet were of no use anymore, so he made quick work of his arms, cutting the surface in long strokes.

It was faster, but also more tiring, it was a bit concerning that he only shivered on occasion, the numbness spreading even further over his body. When he reached the part where he guessed the egg was, he couldn't feel any ground below his feet. Be it, because his feet refused to send any signals to his brain, or because the water was deeper than he could reach.

"H... 've t' dive," he called, his words slurring together. His vision went fuzzy and he knew he had to get out of here quickly. But not without this egg.

Flexing his fingers, he noticed with quite some satisfaction that they were stiff, but haven't refused to work yet, so he quickly took a deep breath, assessed the distance to the golden shimmer under the water and dove in.

The ground was really further down than he had thought, so he had to get up again, taking another breath and diving in again. His subconscious somehow remembered Marinette had been yelling something, but his brain shut down everything that had nothing to do with the task at hand.

In his second dive, he managed to catch something, but his dumb fingers slipped off the surface and he had to get up for another breath. It got more difficult with each passing second.

Cursing under his breath, he collected all his remaining strength and dove in again.

Three time's the charm and luck seemed to be with him for he managed to grab the egg, his fingers burying into the soot of the lake and heaving the golden egg up.

It was _heavy_. It nearly slipped out of his grip again, but Adrien refused to let it go once he had it. So, even before he got up again, he pressed it into his chest, deep relieve settling into his bones.

He had done it.

He had caught the egg.

For a second, he shut down. The task was over, he had the egg, there was nothing else to do, right? Peace settled into his bones, he felt weightless. The cold surrounding him wasn't as bad anymore, to be honest, he barely felt it anymore. The shivering had stopped completely and he felt even some warmth running through his chest.

He opened his eyes and saw the golden egg cradled in his arms. The light reflecting merrily in the water, drawing a smile to his lips.

Something nagged at his brain though.

He had forgotten something. Something important. Why did he want to get the egg again? It hadn't mattered a second ago, but now, it confused him. He had forgotten something vital.

Something like breathing.

Spluttering, he had no idea what to do. His brain was empty, what was he supposed to do?! A wave of warmth suddenly washed over him and a voice in the back of his head told him what to do. He positioned his legs under his body and pushed up from the ground. He was running purely on instinct when he broke back through the surface.

He coughed awfully, the cold air burning his lungs and he may have swallowed an awful lot of water because his legs refused to work properly and he got dunked underwater a few more times.

Eventually, one of his hands showed some mercy and detached themselves from the egg in his arms, moving slowly through the water to keep him upright.

He moved agonizingly slow, there was some yelling, but he couldn't really place the voices. They were swirling through his head and bones. But they were warm and acted like some beacon in the dark void that he felt trapped in.

So, he moved towards them.

Eventually, something grabbed him and he was hoisted up, out of the safety of the water. The voices were close now, they surrounded him with warmth and comfort.


	17. Announcemet

Hey there! Happy New Year and all that jazz!

No new chapter today, sorry folks :(( I just wanted to make a quick announcement: This story is officially **on pause**.

Next to Adult Life (TM) completely taking me over, I kind of fell out of the Miraculous fandom. I was really dissappointed on how the third season turned out.

Don't get me wrong - I love that they are breaking up the Love Square right now, because both need to get back to the ground, having the other on a too high pedestral - all that fanfic stuff I guess. They need time apart to really appreciate the other. But it was all the other things that are _really _getting on my nerves.

I'm studying game/animation. And storytelling is one of the main parts of what I do. And Zag is doing so many _grave_ mistakes, so I simply can't enjoy the show any longer at this point.

For example: Thomas Astruc once said (something along the lines of) that Miraculous is supposed to be a show, where every episode could stand alone. Own story, own setting. You can take a single episode out of the whole bunch and everything would still work. The show wouldn't be messed up and the episode will still tell it's own story. And that's how Zag is treating Miraculous. It's the reason why every episode needs an Akuma and why every episode starts happy and ends happy. I like that concept in general and it works fine with series like Phineas and Ferb or whatever.

BUT MIRACULOUS DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.

You can't have such a complicated story and characters and character develepment if the single episodes don't relate to each other. That's why there are episodes that are overly full with story (_way_ too full) right next to equally too boring ones. It's driving me insane, honestly. That explaines the messed up publication dates (because it doesn't matter to them) and the nonexistent connection to other (storyrelevant) episodes.

Add to that the horrible treating of Chat/Adrien (They are _equals_, but I guess I don't have to explain that one XDXD) and some other minor stuff and I'm out.

Well, not completely, anyway.

I put too much work into this story and universe to let it die out. I think I'm just gonna wait for season four and hopefully continue eventually. And if Miraculous doesn't manage to catch me again, I'll still continue the story, but will eventually get a bit off track of the original story and characters? I don't know. I have the feeling Marinette already IS a bit OC, but well, we'll see what the future brings :) It will just be a while until I'm back, but don't worry, **this story is NOT abandonned.**

Other than that: I did write stuff though. Does anyone of you know Voltron: Legendary Defender? I'll eventually post stuff over there :) Already have a _massive _thing on the run (not published yet) and hope to see you there as well :)

Have a nice weekend everyone and see you soon!

SarottiFlotti


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